7Eleven
by Ria M Write
Summary: Despite avoiding eye contact, my sisters couldn't help but know that all of the overly tall, extremely muscular, and somewhat scary guys were examining them. It looked like Embry and Josh had seen the sun for the first time. My stomach flipped. Imprinting story, lots of other characters, including the unnamed new pack members from the end of Breaking Dawn.
1. Do We Have to Park Next to These People?

7-Eleven

_**Prologue**_

"_Our Cupboard"_

_A place for two_

_With only one_

_When I miss you_

_I can go to our cupboard…_

_The cupboard that only holds me…_

_And when I find you and know who you are,_

_You can join me in the cupboard_

_Our cupboard._

**Ch.1: **Do We Have To Park Next To These People

_Note: New werewolves added to the pack: Chris, Taylor, Josh, Alan, Katie, Kyle, and Nate._

Deanna's POV

The sun held a surprising dignity today. I would have expected it to be a just weary glow of yellow after its drawn-out battle with the many rainy clouds normally lining the sky. I would have expected it to rest on its one day of victory. But no, it shined surprisingly bright and warm in this month of early November. Rare exception for Forks. Our mom had just been running an errand in town and now we were on our way to La Push for a swim at the beach…. A very cold swim.

My sisters and I all looked like a collection of dolls with similar features. Although we were all painfully human, I did not think of us as ugly.

My twin, Analiese (or as we call her, 'Ani') had long, dark ash blonde hair that dropped past her shoulders. Her eyes were a brilliant blue that reminds me of blueberries. Ani and I- although we were friends- don't have much in common.

She would be gossiping with Noelle while I would be busy beating some game.

Don't get me wrong, we aren't entirely unalike. But I'm just not the same as her.

Noelle's our other sister. I guess you could say I'm _her_ opposite. But the thing is we're so opposite, we can get along sometimes.

Noelle is usually the most girly out of us but acts 'tough' around guys. She's got that attitude that just _full_ of sarcasm. I mean, we can all be pretty sarcastic but she's a little full of herself…

Noelle has this prominent knowledge of her beauty, you see. Her long, dirty blonde hair curls at the ends and her deep, beautiful brown eyes are only accented by her light freckles; every guy in our old town had a crush on her. And she knew it.

Noelle is a year younger than me. And she and Ani are closer than Ani and I.

I used to be closest to our eldest sister, Aria. She's three years older than Ani and I. Aria's a bit like Noelle, Ani, and I all mixed together. She's a bit shy sometimes- not with us, though. She can be a controlling but not entirely unfair. She looks the most like our mom and a little like Ani. Her hair is dark blonde- almost a light brown color- that waves and curls a little at the ends but in a different way than Noelle's. Her hair's not as thick as Noelle's either. She has the exact same color eyes as Ani, blue.

My hair is the same as Noelle's. And my eyes are also a deep brown. My face is smaller than hers, though, and shaped different.

We have three more sisters, too.

Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen; Tasha's four years younger than Ani and I and Elise and Kathleen are the other set of twins.

Tasha's basically the middle child. Always trying to be the loudest so people will here her, extra hyper, but very smart, still. Her hair reaches her shoulders in dark blonde waves that curl at the ends. Her eyes are hazel.

Elise and Kathleen look opposite of each other. Elise has short, completely _straight_, very light dirty blonde hair and brown eyes while Kathleen has short, dirty blonde completely _curly_ hair. Most people don't believe they're twins and think Noelle and I are twins.

Jenny (Mom) pulled the van into a parking lot. The woman's creamy brown hair held the same texture as mine and Noelle's but no one had inherited the lady's dark green eyes. Her face looked the closest to Aria's.

Life had been difficult since our dad died two years ago and we had just moved to Forks a couple months ago so we could get a change of scenery. The small, rainy town was only twenty or so minutes away from where our father had grown up, a small Native American reservation called _La Push_.

My sisters snapped out of their thoughts as they noticed the _7-Eleven_ we were approaching.

"Can I have something to eat?" "I'm _starving_." "Is there a bathroom?" "How long are we going to be here?"

The wave of questions was only answered by a single explanation,

"I'm just stopping to get gas," Jenny explained.

"Awww," Tasha slumped back down into her seat, rearranging her seatbelt. The talking continued as my sisters tried to persuade our mother into buying us one thing or another.

The noise turned to quiet as Jenny passed all of the gas pumps and began to turn into a parking space next to a truck with several guys (some of whom were shirtless) hanging out on and around it. I recognized them immediately and began to wonder if this could possibly end well...

"_Mo-om_, do we have to park next to _these people_?" Noelle complained, eyeing the guys.

I began to crack up in laughter. She thought they looked suspicious! Not to mention they could hear her…

Aria's eyes snapped to the open windows and she giggled at her similar realization.

"Oops…" Noelle said quieter. She hadn't meant for them to hear her. All of the rest of my sisters began laughing.

The guys' dark heads turned towards the van, peering at us. They were pretending to have not heard Noelle's little comment. Nice acting on their part, considering they could have heard her even if the windows _weren't_ open. I lazily wondered if they would recognize me.

"There's nothing wrong with them," Jenny stated in response to Noelle's whining.

"MOM, just look at them! They look like they're all on _steroids_!" Noelle quietly exclaimed to our mother. Jenny just shook her head and opened the door of the car, then heading into the 7-Eleven. She disappeared inside seconds later and we were alone with ten of the pack members.

I was still chuckling.

Despite avoiding eye contact, my sisters couldn't help but know that all of the overly tall, extremely muscular, and somewhat scary guys were examining them. More then one were attempting to nonchalantly glance at me, but it was the two whose faces were in a strange sort of awe that caught my attention. It looked like Embry and Josh had seen the sun for the first time.

My stomach flipped.

"Hey," Josh-one of the newest werewolves- attempted to greet us casually, taking the smallest step towards our large car. He was staring at Noelle. _Ugh, of course my best guy friend takes a fancy to my little sister._

"Uh, hi." Noelle managed a somewhat friendly tone even though she was still convinced the guys were _on_ something.

His whole face lit up as she spoke. He looked ridiculously goofy. I would have to tease him later…that is if I ever live through this.

"I'm Josh. What's your name?"

My sisters noticed his eyes were only for Noelle. Analiese gave me a look; I could tell she was concerned.

"Noelle. And these are my sisters." Noelle answered, hoping to drag us all into his attention. Ha! Like that could happen. I know _that_ look. I've seen it enough.

"Seven of you? Nice." Alan-another new werewolf- said from behind Josh. It was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

_There goes Alan showing off his math skills. Quick counting, I must admit._

"So do you live around here?" Josh asked, almost as casually as before. Noelle looked worried, not sure if that would be too much information to give out the stranger. She glanced at our oldest sister, but Aria's attention was somewhere else.

I smirked at the silent conversation Embry and Aria were having. It was a little strange as they were just staring at each other shyly. Especially Embry. He had yet to speak a word; his attention was totally engrossed in Aria's every breath.

Aria's small smile formed on her lips. She looked embarrassed.

My other sisters noticed this and an awkward silence fell among them all.

Jake coughed and then said,

"Gee, you wouldn't mind telling us the name of your older sister, would you?"

Noelle gave him look of uncertainty but Tasha was already answering,

"That's Aria."

"Aria," Embry repeated under his breath. That was where Noelle drew the line,

"Okay, well, we really aren't allowed to talk to-"

"It's okay," I cut Noelle off reluctantly. "I know them," I explained, my tone revealed my lack of enthusiasm. Watching them all deal with the pack was amusing- I had hated to break the awkwardness.

"I didn't know you had sisters," Josh commented to me, his voice dreamy, keeping his eyes on Noelle where they had been the whole time. I rolled my eyes and refrained from gagging.

"I didn't expect anyone to _like_ any of _your_ sisters regardless," Alan snickered. Josh tore his gaze away from Noelle to send him a glare.

I rolled my eyes again,

"Anyways, I guess I'll introduce them all just in case _another_ one of you decides to start one of your creepy staring contests again. This is my oldest sister Aria," I pointed to the sixteen-year-old, "My twin sister Ani," I pointed to the (as of today) thirteen-year-old Analiese, "My little sis Noelle," I pointed to the eleven-year-old, "My _other_ little sis Tasha," I pointed to the nine-year-old, "And lastly the other set of twins Elise and Kathleen," I pointed to the six-year-olds, one of whom was still asleep from the long car ride. The other was being uncharacteristically quiet as she stared at the strange guys.

"You're the last person I'd expected to have a _twin_ sister," muttered Jake.

I sighed.

"I'm just full of surprises." _full. packed full._

"Like I said before, Noelle, I'm Josh…Oh yeah, and this is Embry." Josh motioned in the direction of the shy guy who was looking at Aria.

All six of my sisters' heads turned to the entrance of the 7-Eleven as Jenny walked out with yet _another_ one of the guys. That made a total of eleven suspicious hot guys…wait-did I just call them _hot_? I meant to my _sisters_…not to me…

"Yeah, sure," said Jenny cheerfully to the guy as she climbed back into the van, "You can help with the yard work at 2:30 tomorrow. Let's say…30 bucks?" _Talk about a rip-off. Our yard needs more work then thirty bucks could handle_.

The guy, who was sporting a huge goofy grin on his face, shook his head,

"I'll do the work for free, Mrs. Brentwood."

"Oh! Okay, then! Thanks, Collin. I guess I'll see you tomorrow!"

We pulled out of the parking lot, once again on our way to the Quileute rez to go to the beach. Aria was still silent as Embry continued to watch the car until it was out of his sight.

"Mo-_om_! You _hired_ him? Why would you do that?" Noelle whined.

"He was a really nice kid," our mother smiled.

"He's one of _them_! THEY. ARE. ON. STEROIDS!"

"Sweetheart, they are _not_ on steroids. They are just a hard working bunch. Collin offered to help me build the shed and plant the bushes. And fix the brick pathway."

"_Why?_"

Just then I started laughing again, realizing 'why' Collin would do such a thing. _Ahahaha! This just got SO much better. Or worse...I'm not sure..._

"Hey, guys," Tasha started, unintentionally changing the subject, "Guess what? There are seven of us, eleven of them _and_ it's 7:11 in the morning! Oh! _And_ we were just at a 7-Eleven! Isn't that cool?"

"Weird." Ani (Analiese) agreed.

Aria just let out a little sigh and turned her face away from the window. I'll bet you anything she was wondering what I had just happened with Embry.

"Mom! Mom! We didn't get gas!" Kathleen pointed out. Jenny hit her head,

"You're right! I just got so distracted with talking to that guy…oh well, we'll get it on the way back," she shrugged.

Elise woke up then and lifted her head. She yawned,

"What did I miss, Aria-baria?"

Aria shook her head and laughed,

"I don't even know."

I chuckled. _Oh jeez, this is going to get interesting…_

**Please review!**


	2. Preface: A Simple Soccer Game

The Preface to '7-Eleven'

_Moving. It's as if every day the very essence of who I am slips further and further away. I miss California. I miss the beaches that my sisters and I would spend time running along the sand in. I miss my friends, my old house, and the way my mother used to be. _

_But most of all, I miss Dad._

_Dad would tell stories of our ancestors from the Quileute tribe. _

_But maybe that wasn't such a good thing. It's what brought us here, to this little town called Forks, in Washington State. _

***** This preface introduces the characters seeing as there is so many and lots of reviewers found chapter 1 confusing.***********

Back in California, my friends called me 'Powers'. I was _the_ player on my soccer team and everyone knew it. I could score a goal three minutes into the game with many more tricks still up my sleeve. 'Powers' (even though it sounds like I'm some physic freak) started out when my team mates used to shout "Girl power, Deanna!" As a sort of joke it became "Power! Power!" and then that escalated into my new nickname being "Powers".

The last game I ever played in California is as clear as crystal in my memory:

"_Hey, Powers! To you're right!" My team mate and younger sister (by a year) Noelle called. I looked to my right and saw a player from the opposing team gaining on me. I sped up and took a sharp turn, kicking the ball towards the goal. The goalie saw my move and tried to stop the ball but Noelle stole it before it reached him. She kicked it back to me, I kicked it back to her, she kicked it back to me, and I scored. _

"_Whoo! Wait to go, Powers! Nice save, Noelle!" Our dad called from the sidelines. He was our coach. _

_Between Noelle and I, the team was practically unbeatable. The other players loved us (trust me, we didn't _always_ hog the ball) and even my family called me Powers during a game. _

_The whistle blew and my team jogged back to our bench. _

"_Hey, Noelle," I nudged my sister in the side. I got her attention and pointed across the field at a guy from the other team, "That's Brandon." _

"_I know," Noelle said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world._

"_He's looking at you," I pointed out. _

_Noelle looked down,_

"_I know." _

"_I mean he's _looking_ at you. Like, you know…" _

_Noelle stared over at the guy. _

"_Do you think he wants to ask me out?" She asked. I raised my eyebrows and shrugged,_

"_I bet he likes you." _

_Noelle pulled her hair of the ponytail. _

"_That's because he knows I'm so pretty." _

"_Ooooh, so are you going to say yes if he asks you out?" I teased._

"_I don't know," Noelle said, as if I had asked her something she was embarrassed to answer. _

_We gathered our soccer gear and trekked over to the bleachers where our older sister Aria was reading a book._

"_Where's Ani?" Noelle asked her, reaching out and taping on the book as if to break Aria from her trance. _

_Aria blinked, looking surprised that our game was over already. She pointed further up the bleachers,_

"_Somewhere up there…Ah, see? Right next to the woman wearing the pink shirt." _

_Noelle nodded,_

"_See ya!" And went to join our _other_ sister Ani (Annie), who was singing along to some song on her iPod. _

"_What chapter are you on?" I asked Aria. _

"_Umm…" she flipped through some pages, "fifteen. Sam just told Mark that he was going to be leaving for the summer." _

"_Oh, I'm still a few pages before that."_

"_It's getting better. I thought it was going to be lame when I first started reading it." _

_Aria and I are bookworms. Ani's a faster reader than us but she's more into music. Speaking of Ani, Noelle and she were heading back towards us. _

"_I know! He is looking RIGHT at you!" Ani told Noelle excitedly. I guess they were gossiping about Brandon... _

"_Ani did you read this one yet?" Aria asked, holding up the book. Ani shrugged,_

"_I read the first three chapters and got bored." _

"_Good job," Aria said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. _

_So yup. This is my family: Aria, Ani, Me (Deanna), and Noelle. Okay well actually we have three more sisters too but I haven't gotten there yet. _

_My dad joined us,_

"_Good game, guys. Aria why don't you put that book down for a second? And Ani, get those things out of your ears. You know, breath! Enjoy nature." _

"_There _called_ earphones!" Ani told him. _

"_Come on, guys, Mom's waiting over there." Dad led us to the parking lot where Tasha came running up to us. _

"_Did you win?" She asked. _

"_20 to five," I replied. _

"_Cool. What are you guys whispering about?" She asked Noelle and Ani. _

"_Nothing," Ani answered. _

_Tasha crossed her arms,_

"_You guys _always_ exclude me! It's not fair! No secrets!" _

"_Tasha, Tasha," Aria tried to calm her down, "You don't have to worry about what _they're_ saying, they're crazies!" She joked. _

_Tasha stomped her foot,_

"_But it's NOT fair! Just because I'm a LITTLE younger than you guys-"_

"_You're A LOT younger than us, Tasha," Noelle argued. _

"_You can't exclude me!" Tasha cried. _

"_They were just talking about the game, Tasha, don't worry," I lied. I knew very well they were talking about Brandon. _

"_Hmph. Liars." Tasha was too smart for us. _

"_Deanna! Aria! Noelle! Ani! Tasha!" Our mom called from out of the drivers seat window of our van, "Come on! We're going to be late!" _

"_Where are we going?" Aria asked me, confused. She's always so out of it. _

"_I think Dad wants us to visit the reservation he grew up on or something," I shrugged, "Remember he told us like forty times last night?" _

"_Oh, that's what I thought," Aria remembered. _

"_I must have zoned out because I don't remember ANY of that…" Ani stated. Correction: ANI'S the one _always_ out of it!_

"_Aria, sit next to me." Noelle commanded. _

"_No! Aria's sitting next to us!" Our littlest sisters (Elise and Kathleen) protested. They were twins. _

"_Aria's sitting next to Santa Clause," Aria said, squeezing into the car. _

"_Fine. But Ani's sitting next to me!" Elise declared. Kathleen nodded in agreement. _

_Tasha sighed,_

"_You guys don't have to fight over Aria." _

"_Yeah, how about fighting over me for a change?" Ani asked, laughing at the end to make it seem like she was joking. _

"_Stop arguing and sit down! We need to go home, pack, and then start driving. Got it?" Mom asked, giving us thumbs up. _

_Seven pairs of thumbs pointed up in return. _

Nothing was ever the same after that. I changed, my sisters changed, my mother changed, and our home changed.

That was because right after we started driving, there was a crash.

And our dad was gone.

Two months passed by and the next thing we knew we were moving to Forks. Our mom felt guilty for never visiting our dad's rez like he always wanted to, so moving close by was to compensate.

We moved next-door to a family called the Cullens. I became friends with the girl, Nessie.

But we still hadn't visited the rez. It would be too painful to know that Dad should be there with us.

So one day, I went alone. It was a long walk from our house, but I did it. To make a very peculiar story short, I met a guy while I was there. Seth. He stared at me, like a crazy person, and then introduced himself and asked for my name.

It was weird. But we hung out everyday after that. Even still, he's not my type of person. But I try to tolerate him and his strange friends.

I do this because I know their secret.

They are werewolves.

…And apparently Seth's "In love" with me.

**Also I added seven more shape shifters to the wolfpack: Chris, Nate, Kyle, Josh, Taylor, Katie, and Alan. If you want to know more about them, read my story 'Brady and Me' but you don't have to just to understand '7-Eleven.'**

**Thanks! **


	3. That Was a Terrible Thing to Say

**Ch.2: That Was a Terrible Thing to Say**

Aria's POV

-The Next Day- (from chapter 1)

"Woah!" Ani had to step backwards so she didn't get run over as Elise and Kathleen ran through the house playing some version of extreme tag with Deanna.

"Hey, Aria? Do you know where the scissors went?" Ani asked me. I was up to my elbows in soap as I scrubbed the dishes in the sink.

"Uhh…" I stepped away from the sink and tried to run my fingers through my wavy hair, only to stop when I realized I still had soap on my hands.

I laughed at my own dishevelment. "What do you want scissors for?" I asked, thinking she might be able to just use a knife instead.

"I'm killing Noelle," Ani joked. I rolled my eyes as I laughed. "No, actually I'm just going to help Tasha make a card for Mom's birthday."

"Oh, okay. Go ask Deanna." I turned back to the sink and Ani skipped off to bother Deanna.

"Ari, can I show you something?" Elise asked me.

I turned off the sink and wiped my hands off with a towel, happy the dishes were done. Then I followed Elise up the stairs to where she pointed a new framed picture Mom had just hung in the hallway.

"Oh, that's cool."

"Where's mom?" Noelle asked Ani as she headed to the playroom. Ani shrugged,

"I think," I began, "she went shopping. We have to start lessons ourselves."

"Aria!" Noelle whined, "Do we _have_ to start our lessons?"

"Yes, Noelle!" I replied, jumping back down the staircase and heading to the piano, "Come on guys! Piano lessons _now!_"

Noelle rolled her eyes as the seven of us crowded around the piano to begin the lessons.

_-An hour later-_

"So Aria, you know that steroids guy that was talking to me yesterday? Wasn't he creepy?" Noelle was pulling her hair into a ponytail, about to hike to the beach with Ani.

"Mhm." I agreed, not really paying attention. The only guy I really remember from yesterday was that Embry kid…

"He actually was kinda cute…" Noelle admitted.

I laughed,

"He's creepy _and_ cute?"

Noelle nodded,

"Two great features in one!" We both started laughing. I should have known Noelle could check a guy out and be scared of him all at the same time.

"Have fun on your hike. Watch out for bears," I advised as she skipped outside. Analiese came downstairs just then, pulling her shoes on.

"Did Noelle just go outside?"

"Yeah. Do you have a cellphone?" I double checked.

"Yes. Stop trying to babysit us, Aria. You're not our mom."

I rolled my eyes,

"Goodbye, Ani."

Josh's POV

The cool breeze came off the ocean as Noelle and Ani walked with their shoes off along the beach.

They looked like twins, or so Taylor and I thought as we watched from where they were sitting by the water. Each of the girls' long, blonde hair was blowing in the wind like a kite flying in a gentle breeze. My breath caught as my eyes rested on Noelle's unmatchable beauty.

I noted that the girls' height was practically the same, even with the year's difference in age.

In fact, the biggest distinction between them was the color of their eyes, Analiese having blue and Noelle a beautiful brown.

Taylor and I looked like brothers as well, with our short-cropped hair and dark skin.

"Hey, dude, look." I nudged Taylor in the side, even though he was already looking in their direction.

"Isn't that her?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah!" I was thrilled. And with that I practically sprung off the sand I was sitting on and flew over to the girls. Taylor quickly followed.

"Hi! You must remember me from yesterday? At the 7-Eleven?" I smiled widely at Noelle. She looked taken aback,

"Are you following us?" Her question was totally unexpected. I frowned,

"No."

"I think they live here, in La Push," Ani whispered to Noelle, not knowing that we have super awesome hearing.

"So?" Noelle asked flatly, still sounding unfriendly.

Taylor cleared his throat,

"Hi, I'm Taylor, by the way." He glanced at Ani who smiled.

"Are you, uh, going swimming today?" I asked Noelle, feeling rejected.

"No, we were just heading home, actually…" Noelle grabbed Ani's wrist and dragged her back down the beach towards Forks.

I sighed.

"I fail," I admitted pathetically.

"Epically," Taylor agreed, patting me on the back, "but, hey, Ani's cute…"

I just looked at him confused. _Does he really think I even __**noticed**__ Ani?_

"Sorry." Taylor looked away, knowing that his observation wouldn't help me much at all.

"You know what? I'm not going to give up," I said determined, "Hey! Ladies!" Once again I caught up to them, "Why don't you chill with us for awhile? We're friends with your sister, Dee."

"Deanna?" Ani asked thoughtfully.

"Yeah. She hangs out with us. a lot."

"So? Maybe _we_ don't want to be friends with you," Noelle pointed out, crossing her arms. My heart sank.

"What do you have against us, anyways?" Taylor asked.

"You're on steroids." Noelle and Ani said at the same time.

I looked at Taylor and started laughing.

"I swear to you we're not," I promised.

Aria's POV

_Ding-dong_

"Someone's at the door!" Elise announced, springing off the couch and pulling open the door. There stood Collin, the darkly tanned, tall, muscular guy that our mother had walked out of 7-Eleven with.

"Oh, Collin! Come in!" Jenny called from the kitchen.

"Hello, Mrs. Brentwood." Collin smiled, moving into the kitchen.

"Oh you can just call me Jen."

"Hello, Jen."

"Okay well in the back by the pool we have a half-built shed. There's wood and tools right by it. I'm sure you can figure it out."

"Sure thing."

I considered introducing myself only to realize I was intimidated by the stranger.

"Dee?" I called up the stairs, hoping she could hear me over her music. No reply. I sighed and stomped up the staircase. I knocked loudly on her door but still no reply. With a huff, I yanked open the door to the bedroom she and Ani share only to find it empty.

_Where does she always keep disappearing to?_

I walked over to her iHome and clicked it off. We didn't need extra noise in the house.

I took a deep breath, now knowing I would have to find Tasha or else face Collin alone.

Luckily, Tasha was already outside watching Collin as he examined the tools and pile of wood. I held back a chuckle, wondering if he actually _did_ know what to do.

"Hi!" I called from a yard or two away. He lifted his head and examined us. "I'm Aria!"

He didn't respond. I shifted my weight awkwardly, "And this is Tasha. We're Jenny's daughters."

He seemed to finally realize why we were talking to him. He walked over to us,

"Sorry, I was distracted…" he explained. I wasn't really sure how that was supposed to make things clearer but I smiled no matter.

"Are you building the shed? Can I help?" Tasha asked eagerly.

"uh, I guess…Say, when does your father"-he seemed to choke on the word- "get home?"

Tasha and I exchanged looks before I explained,

"He passed away last year. Mom's trying to complete all the little jobs he left unfinished. He had always said we could use a shed."

Tasha looked down sadly and – I'm not sure _why_- but Collin looked about a hundred times happier.

I felt sort of upset with him. How could he be _happy_ about our father's death?  
"That's really sweet of her." Collin glanced towards the house.  
"…I suppose. But she's driving herself crazy over it. I'm so glad you're going to help her out." I forced another friendly smile.

"So am I." his smile looked genuine.

Tasha was already at the pile of wood, pondering over which pieces were the best to use.

She's only nine and she knows more about building a shed than this-as Noelle puts it,- _steroids_ guy.

"Ya' know, you don't seem to know much about architecture. I'm surprised, I learned about it this year, and it seems to me that a nine-year-olds outdoing you," I said. I could feel a smirk forming on my lips. That's what he gets for being happy about our father's death.

"Yea, well," he hesitated, looking nervous, "I didn't take that class," he said putting his hands in his pockets nervously, and screwing up his face to try to make it look casual.

"There's a class?" I said raising an eyebrow, now not even trying to hide my suspicion.

"Not really," he said shrugging, again trying to look casual.

"_Sure,_" I narrowed my eyes, still not believing, "Come on, Tash, I think mom needs our help with something," I said reaching my hand out for her to grab, but my eyes still fixed suspiciously on Collin.

"But- " Tasha started.

"Tash…."

"Fine"

I began to walk back across our large yard when a thought occurred to me,

"Hey, why aren't you at school?" I turned to further question Collin. He gulped, looking trapped,

"Why aren't you?" he asked shakily. He was _way_ stronger and taller than us, no reason for him to be scared.

I let my smirk grow,

"Well, _we're_ homeschooled."

"Oh," his face went pale than turned to a blood red, making his cheeks even darker than usual.

"So? Are you skipping?"

Tasha turned to me with a look of disbelief; she couldn't believe someone would do something so _bad_ like that.

"I'm-I'm out of high school," he stuttered. I froze up for a moment and felt embarrassed; had I really just done that? I was so bad at judging age (probably because I don't see too many people my age very often…downside of homeschooling) I re-examined Collin. Muscles covered his arms and he was a good two and a half heads taller than me. He could be done with high school. And maybe even college for that matter.

I watched his expression change from nervous to confident as I thought. I regained my composer and calmed down,  
"Really?"

"Yes."

"I don't think you guys get along very well," Tasha mentioned.

"Neither do I," Collin said coolly.

"Just say it," I challenged. Collin pulled his hands out of his pockets and took a more defensive pose,

"Say what?"

"That you're being mean!" Tasha accused him.

"Me? It's her that just came out here and started making fun of me!"

"Say it." I continued to dare him.

"What?" he cocked his head, even more challenging than I was. I felt the anger burning in my stomach. He was walking all over my nerves.

"Say you hate me, I don't care at all." I crossed my arms and tapped my foot, pursing my lips as I waited for his response.

He looked angry.

"Go inside!" He shouted at us.

"Don't tell us-"

"Go!"

Collin was shaking. I grabbed Tasha's wrist and with that we both sprinted inside, suddenly afraid of Collin. I looked out the back window but it seems he had run into the woods, leaving his shoes by the wood pile.

_Weird._

"Aria can you help Kathleen and Elise?" Jenny asked me, "They are supposed to be cleaning their room."

"Okey dokey. Tasha, come with me," I brought Tasha along with me to the room she and our youngest sisters shared.

Tasha's POV

Have you ever been the middle child? The one who doesn't get paired off when friends come over? The one who doesn't have a twin?

I'm her. The one who gets left out. It's not to say my sisters do that on purpose, but they could include me more.

Elise and Kathleen are usually my friends. I teach them all sorts of things. But, to be honest, we don't get along well _all_ the time and that's when I'm stuck alone.

Ani and Noelle-although a year apart-are like best friends. That's how it used to be with Aria and Dee-Dee too, before dad died and we moved here. Ever since then for some reason the two of them have changed. Maybe it's the gloom of the endlessly rainy days here in Forks, or maybe it's the new atmosphere of the house, but for whatever reason they haven't talked much.

Deanna's recently been sporting a new attitude towards life. Usually she just keeps quiet so no one-except me- notices. But other times she can be really touchy. Like yesterday, for instance; we had just come back from a trip to the beach (which was a birthday gift for Ani and Deanna) and Dee-Dee suddenly started snapping at everything that was said to her. Then at around eight she locked herself in her room and no one saw her until the next morning. Ani shares a bedroom with her so I tried asking her if Dee-Dee was okay but she kept changing the subject.

Being the middle child is hard, but because I have so much time to watch my siblings I know the most about each of them.

Aria hasn't changed as much as Dee-Dee has. Though_ she_ disappears some times, too. She can have quiet an attitude towards strangers-like today with Collin- but generally she isn't too bad. She's gotten quieter and quieter since dad passed on. But I never see her cry. Not anymore. When she's upset, that's when she disappears.

Twice when this has happened I went around the entire house calling her name only to find her locked in the bathroom across from the playroom. All the other times she would just appear on her own thirty or so minutes later.

"But you have to keep the doorway clear, Kathleen," Aria and I were trying to get the twins to pick up the Barbies they had taken out and left scattered around our room two days ago.

"But this one's Tasha's," Elise complained.

"You took it out, Elise!" I told her, "So you have to put it back."

"Can I turn on the radio?" Kathleen asked.

"No," Aria said, distracted with still arguing about the Barbies.

"Why not?" Kathleen pressed.

"Okay, fine, but keep it down." Aria gave in.

Kathleen clicked on the radio button of their iHome which began playing Noelle and Ani's favorite hiphop/ pop station.

"Ew, no, not _this_," Aria grimaced as Elise started to sing along to a Lady Gaga song. It was something about disco sticks? I shrugged as Aria replaced the music with her iPod.

We all sang along as one of Aria's favorite songs played:

"…_And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away_

_It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the tide, everything, everything will be just fine. Everything, everything will alright, alright…"_

We were doing more dancing than cleaning when Jenny called from downstairs,

"Aria? Can you get Collin a glass of Lemonade?"

"Sure!" Aria called back, leaving us.

Aria's POV

_I guess he came back_.

I walked out to the back yard while carefully holding a glass of lemonade. I had half a mind to pour it down his shir-

Where did his shirt go?

_Oh my gosh…I can't do this. He is officially a creeper. _

"Hi again, Colly." _See, I can pass off as calm with a goofy nickname._

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch you're name?" _…Now he's being polite? Eh, I'm too tired to play mean again._

"It's okay, _no one_ ever remembers it. It's Aria."

"Airia?"

"No, no. With an '_R'_ sound. AR-REE-UH."

"Oh, oh, I get it now. Sorry about earlier, by the way, Aria."

"It's okay." _I was the one being a meanie head._ "Have you figured out the shed?"

"Yeah. Does it look okay?"

I examined the shed,

"It's getting there," I sighed, "I wish my mom would just let go already."

Collin locked eyes with me and for a moment I felt _bad_ for him. I pitied him and I don't know why. The look in his eyes must have spelled out 'look at me, I'm a little crying puppy in the rain.'

"I think your mom might move on," he finally spoke.

"What? Why?"

He shrugged,

"I'm just hoping. She doesn't look so happy."

"…Yeah," I said thoughtfully, "I guess she doesn't. You seem to be really eager to help out. And I know you're not in it for the money, since you're doing all this for free. What happened in that 7-Eleven, exactly? Did she start crying or something?"

He looked like a deer in the headlights.

"N-no. I just was being nice and smiled at her and she smiled back and then we got talking and she mentioned all the yard work she had to do today so I offered to help."

"…You're a really nice guy, you know, Collin."

He smiled,

"Thanks. And by the way, I'm sorry about your dad. It must have been really hard losing him."

I shrugged,

"s'okay," I very quietly whispered. Then I turned and slowly walked back into my house.

_My dad…_

My eyes started to fill with tears, for some reason Collin had hit a sore spot just by bringing him up. _My dad…_

I made a beeline through the kitchen into the living room. I jumped down the five steps leading into the playroom and took a right to the bathroom. I had _just_ managed to close the door when a tear escaped.

I locked the door and wiped my eyes dry. I took a deep breath. _I want to cry._ But my mind had already moved on, it never let my emotions mourn. I turned to the left of the door where a single me-sized cupboard was embedded in the wall a few feet up from the floor. I pulled it open easily and pushed the paper towel rolls stored in it back further. Then stood on my tip-toes and pushed the ceiling of the cupboard up until it lifted off the top of the cupboard. I climbed into my secret hiding place.

When I returned upstairs, I was surprised at who was standing my living room.

_It can't be…?_

The boy from 7-Eleven! _Now what was his name again?_...Embry?

He waved to me shyly as I stood frozen on the last step of the stairs. My jaw had dropped and I must have looked ridiculous just standing there with my mouth hanging open.

"You know me?" He asked quietly from across the room, sitting on one of our couches. _Yes! Yes I know you!_ But how had he gotten in? Was he here with Collin?

I nodded. That was the best I could do.

I stepped up into the living room and we studied each other as I inched towards the piano bench, only to hover next to it when I reached it.

I felt so uneasy just standing there with him. He looked older than Collin but…I don't know, more attractive, still.

Wait- _Older than Collin?_ That would put a huge age difference into my little dream of him liking me. Whoops.

"How old are you?" I blurted out. He had been just sitting there calmly, like I wasn't making him feel awkward at all. I felt even less hopeful.

"Eighteen."

_Yup, there goes my hopes and dreams down the drain. _"How old are you?" He asked, speaking just as calmly as he looked.

I wasn't sure why he cared- _unless he likes me!_-but I tried to make myself sound just as calm as he did when I answered,

"Sixteen."

"Cool," he nodded, seeming indifferent.

"Are you Collin's friend?"

"What?" He asked as if he had misheard me.

"Are you here with Collin?" I repeated, wondering if he was getting annoyed with my presence.

"erm, No. Actually I guess I am."

"Would you like me to get you some lemonade?" I asked, trying to remember my manners.

"AHH! Time out! Time out!" Elise screeched as her and Kathleen were being chased by Tasha down the stairs.

"No time outs!" Tasha said tauntingly.

"Aria's base! Aria's base!" Elise shouted seconds before her and laughing Kathleen crashed into me.

"_Ha, ha!_" Kathleen stuck out her tongue at Tasha as the twins hugged my waist.

I looked back up at Embry, wondering what he could possibly think of this. He was looking down at them but then looked back up at me and said,

"You sure?"

"What?" I wasn't keeping up.

"You look busy."

"Oh, you mean to get the lemonade. Sorry," I felt stupid.

He smiled,

"They're cute," he motioned to the twins.

I faked exhaustion,

"yeah, adorable."

He laughed and I smiled. _What a pretty laugh…_What? Guys are allowed to have pretty laughs, aren't they?

"Come on, guys. You have to get off or it's cheating!" Tasha was getting annoyed with Elise and Kathleen.

"Who's he?' Elise asked me, pointing to Embry. Embry smiled again.

Kathleen leaned over and whispered (very loudly)

"We saw him yesterday when we were in the car."

"Oh," Elise said, understanding.

Embry looked like he was about to laugh at any second.

"What's your name again?" Tasha asked him.

"Embry."

"Oh yeah. Nice to see you Embry. Now four seconds before I start chasing you two again!" Tasha warned the twins.

"Na na na na na!" Kathleen teased as the three of them ran off again.

"Is Collin coming back tomorrow?" Embry asked conversationally.

"I think so. It'll take a while for him to finish the shed and my mom said he'll be fixing the pathway and stuff too," I explained.

"I guess he's being really nice about all of it?"

"Yeah, it's kind of weird."

He chuckled,

"I think he's got a thing for your mom."

My mouth dropped open,

"That's a terrible thing to say!"

**Song: "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat the World**


	4. She's Obviously Fineish

_7-Eleven_

_Chapter Three:_

"She's Obviously Fine…-ish."

Deanna's Point of View

"Well, I don't think the turtle _wants_ to be brought home with us is what I mean…" Aria explained to Kathleen.

"You _always_ make us leave things here, though!" Kathleen sighed dramatically, "Dad would have let us bring it home!"

"_Deanna_ can we _please_?" Elise turned to me, glancing towards the turtle the twins had managed to capture in a shoebox while Aria and I were not looking.

"I don't think mom would let us keep it," I explained, tired with trying to convince them that the turtle was probably having a panic attack as we speak. _'OH MY GOD! WHY CAN'T I SEE THE POND ANYMORE? I'M BEING ABDUCTED BY ALIENS! AHHH!'_

Kathleen brushed her curls out of her face and put her hands on her hips,

"Hmpf."

"Yeah, we can't leave it here! It _needs_ us!" Elise widened her eyes and looked caringly at the freaked out turtle.

"It was fine before we found it," Aria pointed out.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"But. It. Needs. Us. _Now!_" Elise said, stepping closer and closer to Aria until she was pulling her arm in desperation. Her shiny blonde hair swung behind her as she tried to tug Aria towards the turtle-trapped-in-shoebox.

"Why do you think we found it? It's _supposed to be_," Kathleen agreed.

Aria looked between them both and for a second I thought she was going to fold. She's so hopeless for that '_supposed to be'_ stuff.

"No." Elise and Kathleen stared her down. "Dad _wouldn't_ have let us bring it home, anyways. He loved nature. You let nature run naturally."

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.

"Should we head back now, do you think?" Aria asked me. I nodded,

"Yeah, sure."

Elise and Kathleen hung their heads and whined the entire walk back from the pond.

_Now's the time. You have to figure out what she's thinking._

"So, Aria," I began, falling into step with her and allowing the twins to walk just ahead of us at their sluggish pace.

"Yes, Deanna?" she asked, redoing her loose ponytail.

"Um, you know that guy…Collin's friend?"

She looked at me blankly for a moment. _C'mon now, Aria. You know who I'm talking about._

A small smile that she had been apparently trying to stop snuck upon her face and her cheeks darkened. She gave in,

"Embry. Yes, I know. What about him?"

"He, er, well. Um… He's a cool guy, huh?" I finally found the right words to use with my sister.

"He's alright. He was kind of mean to Collin. Ugh, and did you hear that word he said to you?"

"Word?" I tried to figure out what she was talking about, re-running the story that Seth had told me in my mind. I had missed the beginning of Embry and Aria's conversation.

"The 'B' word."

"Ah. What he called me when I joined you."

"Yes." Aria looked disgusted. _She must have liked Embry because he was being shy and mysterious but now that he's opened his mouth he's saying all the wrong things._

Embry used to be shy. And a sweet kid, really. Or so I've heard. I'd only known him for a week before he changed his whole persona around. I blame it on his first girlfriend. The stupid brat kept telling him he was dirt until he changed for her. How manipulative that girl was. I have to wonder what he really _is_ like inside. If he actually is the same Embry he used be or if the changes run deep.

Then again, if they're soul mates (Aria and Embry, I mean) then they must find common ground somewhere and they can't just never talk to each other. There's only two things that could happen: Embry could drag Aria down to his level, changing her or Embry really is the same deep down and would (obviously) change back for Aria.

Or, there _is_ a third option. Aria could be a brat deep down and I wasn't even aware.

_I guess I've lost my connection to Aria. I'm not even sure what my own sister's really like._

"But think of how upset he looked after he said Collin 'has a thing' for mom! He looked like he regretted every word!" I tried to get her to see the light, the truth that was Embry's affection.

Aria suddenly laughed,

"I feel bad for Collin. I hope Embry doesn't say that_ to him_. We could use him helping us out…"

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Stay with the subject, Ar. He looked _really_ sad! And he definitely was beating himself up as you told him to leave."

Aria looked down at her feet as we approached our driveway.

"He's not allowed to call you that. Not my favorite sister!" She joked, side-hugging me and ruffling my hair.

"_Hey!_ My hair! _Jeez_, Aria!"

She laughed,

"That was for calling me 'Ar'."

I snickered,

"I was waiting for you to notice. It's just a nickname."

"A nickname that I hate. My name's short enough as it is; no need to make it even _shorter_."

_I better remember to mention that to Embry._ I was just waiting for the day he was going to recruit me as his personal consultant for all things Aria.

Analiese's Point of View

_I must have left it in here_…

Searching for my notebook that I record all my song ideas in, I stepped into the kitchen.

_Woah!_

I stepped right back out, hoping they hadn't noticed me.

_What is Josh doing here?_!

He has no right!

I peeked in again, trying to absorb the fact that Noelle and Josh were ballroom dancing to zero music in my kitchen.

And she looks ready to slit his throat.

_There's a knife on the counter behind you!_ I felt like calling out to her.

"You _are_ a good dancer," Josh told Noelle. I saw hints of her smile before she caught herself and sneered at him,

"I know. I could beat you at anything." She let go of his hand to flick her hair behind her back. And then- to my great surprise- she placed her hand back in his. He smiled,

"I'm sure you think so."

"Uh!" She said in semi-dramatized insultment, letting go of his hand and stepping back against the counter, away from him. She put her hands on her hips, "I don't think so, Mr. I'm-on-Steroids-but- won't-Admit-it! You're not allowed to say that!"

"Oh, why not?" Josh challenged. I felt angry at him for annoying Noelle.

"Because I'm great."

"You are great," Josh easily agreed, "I'm just saying I'm surprised you're ego can fit in this room." His words weren't the nicest but his tone was such that it was obvious he was only teasing and meant no hurt feelings by it. He was trying to suppress most of his laughter.

Noelle looked totally fake insulted (even though I think she really was insulted a little.) Neither of them said anything for a moment then she asked in a tone that revealed she knew her question was going to sound funny to him,

"…What's an 'ego'?"

Josh cracked a huge smile,

"I'm sorry. It doesn't matter, really."

"Please, tell me!"

"It's, well, in this case it's how great you think you are."

"Is that a good thing?"

Josh laughed again as Noelle waited for his answer,

"_I_ think so," was his only reply.

"It's bad? Ugh! That's not nice!" She hit his arm as hard as she could (Noelle can beat any of us up at any given time.)

Josh didn't seem hurt but he held where she had touched his arm.

"I'm sorry," he said again, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!"

"Ugh!" Noelle glared at him, crossing her arms and about to storm out of the room. Her foot caught on something that seemed to have fallen under a chair. _My song book!_

For a second I thought she was going to fall but she quickly balanced herself.

"Ouch!" She held her foot and clamped her eyes shut.

"Noe-"

"Don't touch me!" She screeched as he came towards her. He stopped and scanned the room. Before I could run, he saw me.

"Can you get us some ice?"

He didn't seem surprised that I was watching them. _Had he known I was here the whole time?_

I nodded and whispered "okay." Entering the kitchen, Noelle sent me a scowl from where she now sat on the kitchen floor. I quickly looked away and got some ice.

"Did you hurt your foot?" Josh asked calmly, crouching by her, keeping his hands to himself.

I handed him the ice and he didn't even spare me a grateful glance, he only waited for Noelle's answer as he took the ice from me.

"I stubbed my toe," she said reluctantly.

Josh nodded, trying to be cool, I think.

He nonchalantly placed the ice on her toe.

"What happened? Collin said he heard something and that I better check it out…" Tasha came from the backyard through the kitchen's backdoor.

Josh looked at Tasha and then rolled his eyes at the wall mumbling something about how Collin was unfair. I gave Tasha a questioning look and she just shrugged,

"I guess I'll go back to helping Collin since it's just Noelle. Let me know if she lives, thanks."

And Tasha was gone.

Noelle was left fuming at her comment.

Josh (who had yet to be yelled at for holding the ice pack on her) noticed and said softly,

"You're important to me."

He sounded so-so _sincere_ and the look in his eyes was amazing. It was so adoring.

Noelle just snorted,

"_Sure_. Let _me_ know when she _dies_," she said, meaning Tasha. Then her eyes flicked to me, "Did I ask you to stay?"

"I was just helping you out!" I said defensively. _Grrrr._ "You should be thankful I even got you the ice pack!"

Noelle's Point of View

I rolled my eyes again, trying my very best to pretend that I wasn't embarrassed that she saw me and Josh.

Ani continued to shout at me as she marched out of the room. Finally a door slammed upstairs and I could faintly hear her talking to herself about how awful I am.

I glared at the wall as Josh poked at my foot,

"Does that hurt?"

I didn't respond.

"Please answer me?"

Still nothing.

"You know you're really cute when you're angry."

I bit down harder to keep from blushing or laughing.

He sighed,

"I wrote a song for you," he said casually.

I turned to him, still glaring and tight-jawed, and raised an eyebrow in skepticism.

"Really," he said matter-of-a-factly, putting the ice back on my foot and not making eye contact.

I crossed my arms.

He looked up at me to examine my face and a giggle escaped from his casual composure.

"I'll sing it for you."

I waited. He cleared his throat and started in not the best singing voice I've ever heard,

"No-oel, No-oel, No-oel, No-oel-el-el-"

I cut him off by hitting him in the arm. He began laughing super hard. I was afraid he'd never stop. Pretty soon I was feeling better and laughing too.

"You didn't write that."

He took a deep breath and finally quit his laughter,

"See? You're fine!" He moved so he was leaning against the kitchen wall next to me and through his arm around me, pulling me into a side hug.

For a second I felt in love with him. But it was _very_ short second.

"I don't hug people on steroids," I told him, inching away. He smiled and pulled his arm away.

Embry's Point of View

_-Audrine who?_ I asked Brady.

_-Worthington, dumb ass. _

_-I was just kidding. _

_-Ha ha. _

_-Seriously. Sorry, I just can't get _her_ out of my head._

Brady laughed as my thoughts drifted to my conversation with my imprint, Aria.

_-You feel like dirt, man. Even worse then you were dating, what was that chick's name? Molly? No wait- that was Jared. Was it Carlie? Carie? Carsie?_

_-Something like that. I forget. _

_-She was nasty, man. _

_-I'm fully aware of my own previous abuse, thanks. _

_-…So you're sure you'll stay the hell away from Audrine?_

_-I don't remember you ever having a problem with me before, Brady. _

_-I don't remember YOU ever having a problem with me before, either, Embry. _

_-That's a lie._

_-I've always had a problem with you._

_-Do you think she thinks I'm weird? Did my hair look bad or something?_ I asked nervously.

Brady groaned,

_-Is this the trade off? I get Audrine but you get to talk to me like we are teenage girls at a sleepover having dating problems?...I'll take it, since I get Audrine but seriously, man, I'm gonna start calling you Emma. _

_-Shut up, Brady. I haven't seen her today yet and I'm dying to straighten things out._

Seth joined us,

_-I was just on the phone with Dee. Aria's going to the beach._

I growled,

_-Why were you asking about Aria?_

_-Be thankful, Embry!...Emma, rather. _Brady said/thought.

_-Calm down, I was just making your life easier! Plus I didn't ask, I could hear Aria in the back ground. She was getting changed and told Dee she was going to be at the beach._

I growled again, louder this time. Brady started cracking up. And Seth went quiet for a second,

_-It's not like I SAW her changing! My God!_

_-Sorry. I'm going to the beach, then. _

_-Bye, Emma! _Brady said as I phased and uncovered my pants from where I had stored them.

The beach was empty. The sky was overcast and every few minutes a few rain drops would fall.

I saw her, Aria, sitting alone on a towel reading a book. She was wearing a blue tank top and white Capri's over an orange bathing suit.

I walked towards her. She didn't look up from her book, not even when I was standing right in front of her. _She must see me…?_

"Sorry about what I said yesterday," I spilled, stuffing my hands in my pockets. She squinted her eyes as she turned her face towards the sun to see me. She examined me for a moment then quietly said,

"It's okay."

I looked to the ocean for a moment, thinking of what I could say to her next,

"Good book?"

"What?" I think she was just asking to stall for some time to think of a reply.

"Do you like that book?"

She nodded a little,

"It's okay." _So far she's said 'it's okay' twice and 'what?' I'm doing well.( I can't be more sarcastic.)_

"Um, what's it about?"

She blushed and pushed some of her hair away from her face,

"Cats. Feral cats."

My mind paused for a second,

"Oh."

"They like, go around this forest they um live in and fight with other cat clans and stuff."

"That's pretty cool." _And that's not boring you to death?_

She laughed nervously, at herself.

"I know it sounds stupid. It's for little kids but the series is really addictive. To me it's like taking all the drama of Harry Potter and applying it to cute little fuzzy kittys."

I nodded and looked away to pretend she didn't look like she was pondering my shirtlessness.

_I must look like a freak. _I felt self conscious and wanted to put a shirt on. Fast.

"Uh, you going swimming?" She asked. I don't think she really cared, just wanted to keep things from being awkward.

"Huh?" _Oh…because I'm not wearing a shirt. Hey, that's almost normal!_ I felt less creepy immediately.

"Are you going in the water?" She clarified quickly.

"Yes."

She looked down at her book,

"Can I swim with you?"

My heart fluttered.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Are you scared of the water here?"

She shook her head,

"I come here all the time," she explained as she closed her book and pulled off her tank top and capri's.

"Long walk," I said conversationally, and a little curious. _Maybe I could give her a ride her next time?_

"My friend drives me," she said as if she'd read my thoughts.

"Oh." _Just offer anyways!_ But I couldn't get myself to. She seemed completely content the way she was, like I would just be adding weight to one side of her perfectly balanced scale that was her life.

We reached the edge of the cold water. And a thought that should have come to me sooner occurred to me.

"Hey, it's really cold so you might not want to-"

But she had already plunged under the icy water.

_It's RAINING, she shouldn't be swimming! She's GOT to be freezing!_

Just before I could get too panicky her head emerged above the water again.

"C'mon, Embry! It's great!"

"…" I blinked a few times, "Y-you're not _cold_?"

She shook her head,

"I pretend I can't feel the temperature!"

_That can't be healthy._

"Well, you might get sick!" I warned.

She laughed,

"_You_ might get sick too!"

"I…I have a high temperature. I won't." _That's it! If I can some how stay close to her I'll keep her warm!_

She was laughing at me as I slowly joined her in the ocean.

"Wanna play a game?" I asked her. She looked cautious. "I'll keep you from drowning, I promise."

"Okay…I guess."

"Alright, the rules are… you have to try and swim away from me as fast as you can and I'll close my eyes to try and catch you."

"Why am I running from you?" She asked, almost swallowing a big wave of salt water. I held back my concern for her ability to swim well. _Is she suggesting she doesn't want to go away from me or is she just looking for a motive for her to have in the game?_

"Why do you ask?"

"Well if I just imagine an Embry coming after me it isn't that scary. I wanna know _why_ I'm supposed to be running."

"Because I'm a shark."

"What happens if you catch me, then?" She asked suspiciously.

I smiled hugely,

"Well you wouldn't want _that_ because then I can hold you capture forever."

She laughed,

"Yeah _right_."

"_One_, _Two_, _Three_…" I gave her a good ten second head start then dived down into the water. I listened. Thanks to my werewolf hearing, I could pinpoint her exact location easily.

_How smart, Embry. You catch her and then she has to stay close to you for the rest of the swim. And she won't get sick-_

"Aria!" I was already above water, swimming towards her as fast as I could against the strong current.

I reached her within a moment and lifted her above the water. She was coughing like crazy. _She can still breath…_

"I'm-_cough_- fine!" I heard her squeak as I swam towards the shore.

I made it to the dry sand and put her down on it. She was sitting up, still coughing. I reached for her, trying to help but she put her hand out to stop me. I paused and stared at her worried.

She drew in a shaky breath and stopped coughing. She dropped her hand and it was as if someone pressed play on a remote that controls me. I brushed her hair out of her face and behind her ear as she tried to collect herself.

"I was worried," I admitted.

"I was fine." She shivered. I moved closer. She turned to meet my eyes and then backed her head away when she how close our faces were.

I looked ashamed for making her feel uncomfortable but I didn't move. She needed to warm up.

"I'm going to get my towel," she explained as she stood up and ran over to where her towel was. She grabbed it and wrapped it around herself. I joined her,

"You sure you're okay?"

"I'm _fine_." She said coldly.

_So much for warming her up…_

Deanna's Point of View

"Taylor! Come check this out!" I called. Taylor, dragging his feet, entered the room.

"I can't believe you won't just forgive Josh. I don't like being your new guy friend. You're so _demanding_!"

"Josh imprinted on my _sister_. The sister that I don't get along with. He could jump off a cliff for all I care. He hasn't talked to me in two days!"

"What did I miss?" Alan asked me, trying to hand me a lemonade. I didn't make a move to accept the drink so he placed it on the desk in front of me.

"I was about to show Taylor an awesome music video. You see, although Josh imprinted on my _beloved_ sister, _Collin_ out did him by imprinting on my-"

"Mom," Alan and Taylor completed my sentence in unison.

A devious smile crept across my face,

"Listen to this." I hit play on the Youtube video.

"_Stacy's mom has got it goin' on  
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on  
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on  
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on_

Stacy, can I come over after school? (after school)  
We can hang around by the pool (hang by the pool)  
Did your mom get back from her business trip? (business trip)  
Is she there, or is she trying to give me the slip? (give me the slip)

You know, I'm not the little boy that I used to be  
I'm all grown up now, baby can't you see

Stacy's mom has got it goin' on  
She's all I want and I've waited for so long  
Stacy, can't you see you're just not the girl for me  
I know it might be wrong but I'm in love with Stacy's mom.."

The guys were cracking up in a second.

"It should be '_Deeeee's mom has got it goin' on!'"_ Josh laughed and Alan added,"Yeah, and it should be '_You know, I'm STILL the little boy that I was before I phased'_"

I laughed along with them. Collin entered the room,

"What's going on?"

"Listen to this!" I told him. Taylor and Alan were almost unable to breathe they were laughing _so_ hard.

"_Stacy, do you remember when I mowed your lawn? (mowed your lawn)  
Your mom came out with just a towel on (towel on)  
I could tell she liked me from the way she stared (the way she stared)  
And the way she said, "You missed a spot over there" (a spot over there)_"

And I know that you think it's just a fantasy  
But since your dad walked out, your mom could use a guy like me

Stacy's mom has got it goin' on  
She's all I want, and I've waited so long  
Stacy, can't you see you're just not the girl for me  
I know it might be wrong,  
but I'm in love with Stacy's mom

Stacy's mom has got it goin' on  
She's all I want and I've waited for so long,  
Stacy can't you see your just not the girl for me,  
I know it might be wrong but oh oh  
(I know it might be wrong)  
I'm in love with (Stacy's mom oh oh)  
(Stacys mom oh oh)  
I'm in love with Stacy's mom

Collin's face was beat red from embarrassment and anger by the time the song ended.

"It's not like that," he said, ready to defend his relationship with his imprint.

"_Suuure_," Taylor teased, holding his sides as he laughed. Collin growled.

"I DO _NOT_ SEE HER THAT WAY!"

"Deeeee's mom has got it goin' on!" Taylor sang.

Collin started shaking violently.

"YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?"

Taylor nodded.

"Collin…" Alan stopped laughing, noticing the sudden seriousness of the atmosphere.

"THANKS FOR PLAYING THAT VID!" Collin shouted at me, his shaking worsening. I stood up from my chair and inched towards the corner of the room, away from Collin.

"HEY! Back off! She didn't do anything!" Alan shouted back, standing in front of me incase things got ugly.

Then it happened.

Soon three wolves were growling and snarling as they ripped at each other, tumbling around the room.

"Ahh!" I screeched as Collin and Taylor crashed towards me. I was trapped in the corner between a desk and a wall. The growling got louder and I looked frantically around for an escape. I cried out again as Collin's claw almost hit my leg. My arm flew to my heart as I tried to breathe normally despite the panic-worthy situation. My bracelet fell off as I did so. I glanced at the silver chain that now laid just inches away from the wolves. It will be shattered in a second.

_No!_ I fell to my knees and reached out for the pretty object.

_SNAP!_

At first I didn't feel anything. Everything was suddenly quiet as the wolves phased back. I kept my eyes on my arm as Alan ran up to Seth's room to get them all new clothes.

A few moments later the pain hit and I started crying.

The three of them crouched around me.

"I'm so sorry, Dee," Taylor whispered.

Alan tried to take my arm from me to examine my wrist but I wouldn't let him.

"It must be broken," Collin said, looking repentant.

Tears fell from my eyes. Then I heard very familiar footsteps racing towards the house to us.

The guys heard it too and exchanged looks of horror and guilt.

"Don't. Tell…him," I managed to say between sharp breaths. My wrist was hurting like nothing I've ever experienced, "He'll…freak."

Collin looked unsure but Taylor and Alan nodded.

Seth busted into the room. Taylor, Alan, and Collin quickly hid me where I sat on the floor, behind them.

"Did I hear Dee screaming before?" he asked nervously, like he was afraid of the answer.

"One of them probably just got tired of her bossin' and told her so," Leah said uninterested as she entered the room behind her brother. Seth sent her a glare.

"Look who's talking," said Collin.

"Where is she?" Seth asked, "Is she hurt?"

"No…" Taylor lied. I had been holding my breath to stop from crying. I let it out and whimpered as pain shot through my arm. Seth's eyes went wide and he pushed the guys aside to stare down at me in shock and disbelief. His mouth hung open.

" …See, she's obviously fine...-ish." Taylor tried pathetically to keep my request.

Song: "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne


	5. Fresh Sizzle

_**Thanks everyone for reading! I know it can get a little confusing with all the different characters, so I apologize. Here, this might help:**_

**Aria- 16 (Embry imprinted on her)**

**Analiese (aka Ani) -13 (twins with Deanna but hangs out with Noelle)**

**Deanna (aka Dee)- 13 (twins with Analiese but is closest to Aria) (Was friends with pack before this story began) **

**Noelle (occasionally 'Noe')-11 (Josh imprinted on her) **

**Tasha- 9 **

**Elise- 6 (twins with Kathleen)**

**Kathleen- 6 (twins with Elise) **

**Also Collin (14) imprinted on their mother, Jennifer Brentwood. And their father (who grew up on La Push) has died. **

_**Thanks and enjoy this chapter of 7-Eleven!**_

**Oh, and also each chapter is a new day unless otherwise noted. **

*****A&E****** ****N&J***** *****J&C*** *****D&S**** ****A&T**** **

**~~~~~~~7-Eleven~ **

_Chapter 4: "_Fresh Sizzle"

Kathleen's Point of View

The big white room was chilly. Deanna sat on a table and we leaned against the walls waiting for the doctor.

"Elise, get your thumb out of your mouth," Aria instructed my twin sister. Elise shook her head so Aria stuck her own thumb in her mouth, too, just to mock Elise. Elise and I laughed.

"She's allowed to suck her thumb as long as we're not in the middle of our lessons," Noelle reminded Aria. Aria pulled her thumb out of her mouth,

"Yeah but it's still bad for her teeth." Aria shot Noelle a look that said _'I'm not stupid_' as she said that.

"Guys when the doctor comes in stay quiet because he needs to focus on Dee-Dee," Tasha told Elise and I. We just stared at her blankly. "Right, Mom?"

"What's that?" Mommy wasn't paying much attention to us, instead she had picked out a magazine from the waiting room and was absorbed in some article.

Tasha began to repeat what she had said,

"They need to stay quiet because-"

At that moment a doctor opened the door and gracefully stepped onto the examination room.

He wore a long white jacket and had blonde hair.

"I apologize for the wait," he spoke, "Hello, Deanna."

My mother narrowed her eyes, confused, at the doctor. This was not the doctor we were expecting. Yet he seemed to know Deanna.

"Hi, Dr. Cullen," Deanna replied with the same level of familiarity. How did they know each other?

My sisters exchanged confused looks.

"Dr. Thompson is busy so I'll be your doctor for the time being," the polite doctor said to Mommy. Then to Deanna, "I see you hurt your wrist?"

Deanna nodded.

"How bad does it hurt?"

She shrugged,

"A lot."

"Well the X-rays show you've broken it. Let's get you a cast."

Tasha's Point of View

Yesterday Collin had let me help him with the yard work. I learned a lot from him and not just how to build a shed. He told me very interesting stories about the Quiliuete Legends, stories like the one's Daddy used to tell me. And Collin told me things like how Embry, his friend, has a crush on Aria. After I found Josh over our house in the kitchen with Ani and Noelle, I asked Collin about them and he said that Josh is really caring so he was helping Noelle since she hurt her foot. It seemed like more then that to me but Collin does know Josh better than I do.

Having just got back from the hospital where Deanna got a cast for her broken wrist, I jumped in our pool. Noelle and I had decided to go for a quick swim since today was one of those rare sunny days we Forks residents are blessed with. I was beginning to wonder why we even have a pool. Our house is separate from the town, it's newly built. We only have one neighboring house and those people are scary. Mostly teenagers that keep quiet but still manage to be terrifying. And a little girl maybe about my age that never talks to me. I waved once when the girl was out with a brunette teenage and a guy teenager with red-brown hair. The girl just looked at me for a moment then ran away.

"Ready? Let's have a breath holding contest," Noelle said as she bobbed up in down in the pool next to me.

"Okay," I agreed even though I knew she'd probably win.

"One, two, three, _go_!" We both plunged under the water. Five seconds later I couldn't hold any longer and swam back up to the air. Noelle was still under.

"Noelle?" I heard a deep voice call. Josh rounded the corner of the house to the backyard. A deviously hilarious idea popped into my head.

"She can't swim very well! I think she's drowning! Help!" I cried.

A look of pure terror overtook Josh's beautiful face as he ran towards the pool, hurdling over the edge of the above ground pool amazingly shouting,

"I'M COMIN' FOR YA BABY!" I was half convinced he might start crying.

He fell into the water with a splash and the next thing I knew he had pulled Noelle above the water. I covered my mouth to hold my laughter.

Carrying Noelle out of the pool, I noticed her body was limp in his arms. And her eyes were closed. _…oh no…_

_What's she doing?_

He jumped to the grass and laid her down. She looked unconscious and I wondered if she had held her breath too long.

I noticed Collin watching us from where he was painting the shed.

Josh leaned towards her listening for her breath.

He looked frantic. So she _wasn't_ breathing.

"Do something!" I shouted to him, swimming over to the ladder and jumping out of the pool.

"What?"

"CPR!" Collin bellowed from across the yard. I saw Noelle's mouth twitch and it was then I figured out she was faking.

"Mouth to mouth! Mouth to mouth!" I cheered, hoping he would go for it. _This is getting better and better!_

Josh glanced at me and nodded, panicking.

He leaned towards her and just before their mouths met Noelle's eyes snapped open. Wide-eyed she squirted out the water she had in her mouth into his face before he could get any closer.

"Ew_www_! Get off of me!"

Deep laughter joined mine as Collin and I cracked up at the scene. A shocked, frozen Josh, face dripping from Noelle's spit, just inches away from an angry, disgusted Noelle who might possibly be laughing on the inside at his expression.

Finally registering that Noelle was okay and it was all one big prank, Josh snarled at Collin for laughing.

"Josh that wasn't funny!" Noelle said, unaware that I had set it all up. She broke free of his embrace and crawled away to create some space between them.

I laughed harder.

"I'm sorry, Noelle," Josh said, then he growled as Collin, "At least I didn't get beat up for breaking an imprint's wrist last night!"

Collin quit his laughing and turned back to painting.

_Imprint? Wrist? ...Deanna?_

Deanna's Point Of View

To say the least, my life has gotten busier since Embry, Collin, and Josh have imprinted on my family members. I'm having trouble finding time to hang out with my best friend, Nessie, and my other best friend Josh is on my hit list for imprinting on my sister Noelle. For the last four days I've felt like I'm playing match maker. And things are just getting started, I know.

Aria and I are currently out hiking to the beach in La Push.

This would be relaxing, I hope.

"So you broke your wrist at your friends house?" Aria questioned again. I was still trying to get the details straight.

"Yeah. I was, er, dancing on a swivel chair and fell."

Aria laughed,

"Sounds like something one of us would do."

I smiled,

"I didn't tell anyone until this morning because I thought maybe I had just twisted it." _Plus I didn't want to have to have the pack bring me to the hospital._

"Oh." Aria seemed to be thinking about something.

_*Snap*_

I heard something moving in the woods and caught a glimpse of gray fur with black spots moving swiftly in the trees.

_Embry._ I recognized immediately.

Well, well, _well_. If someone isn't spying on their imprint? Might as well give him a show.

"So, Aria…" I started, smiling at her in a way that should make her suspicious.

Her attention was mine. "What's your favorite color?"

"Amaranth," she answered in a heart beat, "But you already knew that."

"Favorite flower?"

_This should help Embry out._

"Hydrangea. Once again, _things you already knew_."

"Drink?"

"No thanks," Aria laughed. Then she composed herself, "Just kidding, my favorite drink is orange juice. Like you know."

"Food?"

"Ice cream cake. Why am I answering all these questions?"

"Uh, it's a game. I'm trying to ask a favorite you don't know the answer to. So far you're winning, good job! But I'm sure I can crack you."

"Good luck," Aria laughed and rolled her eyes. I know for a fact she spends hours pondering over her favorites and what she agrees with, disagrees with.

"I know, I know. Favorite class?"

"English. Duh."

"Favorite store?"

"Uh…7-Eleven."

"Favorite game?"

"This one," Aria smirked.

"Favorite ice cream flavor?"

"Chocolate chip cookie dough."

"Hmmm…what's your dream guy like?" _ahahahahaha! Take THAT Embry eavesdropper!_

Aria looked at me confused,

"I'm not telling _you_!"

"Oh come on!"

Aria stuck her tongue out at me.

"Would he be really loud or quiet?"

"Both?"

"What would he look like?"

"None of your business."

"…What do you think of wolves?"

"What?"

I chuckled and wondered how mad Embry was at me now.

"You think wolves are scary, right?" I pushed.

Aria blinked,

"Wolves are like dogs. I like cats. Oh my gosh, I _loveee_ lions though! And Tiger's are pretty cool to. Ligers are just amazing…"

_Well there goes her chatter_. Sometimes, like when you ask about the right thing, Aria will go off chatting for ages about the same subject. It doesn't happen all that often so it's not really annoying just you can't get her off that subject. I will have cats stuck in my mind for the rest of the day.

Analiese's Point of View

"Come on it's getting dark, I don't want it to be too buggy when we get there!" I said as Noelle, Tasha, and I piled into the car.

"Thanks for giving us a ride, Collin." I added as he pulled out of our driveway.

"Sure thing. So what are you guys going to do at the beach so late anyways?"

"We like to go there when it's quiet and dark," Tasha explained.

"Hey, do you even have your driver's license?" Noelle asked as she examined him driving.

"Who's car is this, by the way?" I added, wiping the dust off the inside handle of the car door.

"Oh, it's Jared's. He never uses it."

"Jared?" I asked.

"A guy I know."

No one said anything for the rest of the ride but Noelle seemed to think Collin shouldn't be driving.

"Thanks, Collin!" Tasha called as he drove away after dropping us at the beach.

"He doesn't have his driver's license's," Noelle concluded.

"Hey, what's that?" I asked, pointing to an orange glow further down the beach.

"A fire?" suggested Tasha.

"Looks like a bonfire. I think that's where Collin's going," Noelle decided.

Deanna's Point of View

It was getting darker and darker by the moment so I was relived to see the familiar glow of a bonfire on the beach up ahead.

Aria and I approached the guys and I heard Embry phase back to human in the bushes near us. It wasn't long before his head was amongst the other pack members. He stared at Aria, looking sort of hurt.

"Hi, guys!" Collin greeted, joining them.

"Hey, Dee," Seth whispered, glancing at my cast, "…you hiked with a broken wrist?"

I ignored him and the others as Collin pointed out my sisters on the beach.

"Deanna, you know all these guys?" Aria whispered to me, sounding nervous. I pretended not to hear her.

"Hey, Taylor!" Josh and Alan called, "See the four blonde chicks-"

"Watch it," I growled in a warning tone.

"I meant the four blonde _girls_ over there? One's named Ani. She's the _fresh sizzle_, ay?"

"What the hell does _that_ mean?" Jared asked them.

"It means she's the new hot girl. Stay out of this, you got Kim."

Jared rolled his eyes and let Josh and Alan be as they tried to get Taylor to admit that he liked Ani.

Aria raised her eyebrows at the guys strange lingo and interest in Ani.

I never seem to run out of sly smiles. Sporting one, I led Aria to where our sisters were trying to nonchalantly stare at the guys.

"Hey, Ani, Taylor's some _fresh sizzle_, huh?" I said wiggling my eyebrows.

"I don't know what you mean." Ani was lying. I could tell when my own _twin_ lies.

Her and Taylor would make a cute couple.

A familiar van pulled up along the beach and Mom shouted to us,

"NONE of you finished your chores! Get in the car _NOW_!"

We exchanged anxious and guilty looks then sprinted to the van.

**Thanks again for reading! Please review everyone! **

**Anyone have any idea who imprinted on Deanna? (Whoever they were imprinted on her a few months before Josh, Embry, and Collin imprinted on her family members)**

**~ p.s. check out my other stories like' Brady and Me' Deanna's a character in that story too! =) **


	6. They Always Fight Over These Two Guys

7-ELEVEN

**Chapter 5: "**_**They Always Fight Over These Two Boys**_**"**

**Aria- 16 (Embry imprinted on her)Analiese (aka Ani) -13 (twins with Deanna but hangs out with Noelle)Deanna (aka Dee)- 13 (twins with Analiese but is closest to Aria) (Was friends with pack before this story began) Noelle (occasionally 'Noe')-11 (Josh imprinted on her) Tasha- 9 Elise- 6 (twins with Kathleen)Kathleen- 6 (twins with Elise) Also Collin (14) imprinted on their mother, Jennifer Brentwood. And their father (who grew up on La Push) has died. **_**Thanks and enjoy this chapter of 7-Eleven!**_**Oh, and also each chapter is a new day unless otherwise noted.**

_~:!~:~:~:~:~:~::~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~_

Dee's POV

A very familiar figure plopped down on the Cullen's couch next to me.

He stopped fixing his hair to examine my expression,

"Well don't look so surprised to see me."

"I'm not surprised," I spat back. A head of pretty bronze hair glided into the room with grace. The girl's eyes widen at us in warning.

"Tsk, Tsk! Behave, you two!"

Seth rolled his eyes next to me. Then he spotted the box of pretzels I was holding.

"…Hey,…can I have some of those?" He reached out to grab one and I held the box as far out of his reach as I could.

Nessie chuckled under her breath and sat on the coffee table in front of us to watch our apparently entertaining bickering. I glared at Seth out of the corner of my eye,

"What was that?" I asked, sensing my own desire to give in and just give him the pretzels. I wondered if he would win this time.

"Can you share those with me…please?" He said softly, staring up at me innocently through his eyelashes.

Nessie look at me in anticipation.

I rolled my eyes and turned to the half vampire girl,

"Want to go get some more snacks?"

She laughed,

"You two are like an old married couple!"

I grinded my teeth together and repeated my question.

She shook her head; a little disappointed I hadn't said anything of more interest.

"My family wants me to stay home today," Nessie explained.

"Are you sure? You're running low on pretzels."

She shrugged,

"I don't like them that much anyways."

I chomped on another pretzel.

"How are things with your sisters going?" Nessie asked conversationally, though I knew it was all very fascinating to her.

"Not very well. Collin's doing the best he can with my mom and Josh's almost got Noelle admitting she likes him but neither are even close to telling them anything about the pack's secret. Especially Embry, every time he talks to Aria it's like four steps forward, a hundred steps back. It's rather sad none of it's working out, actually…"

"We should do something," Nessie told me determinedly.

"Like what?...Wait- please don't tell me you want to interfere. Things are already complicated!" I was cautious to get too anymore involved, especially with Aria and Noelle because they might change their minds and turn and run in the other direction at any given second.

"It will work. You must trust me, Dee."

I sighed.

"Alright, what's your plan, Capt'n?"

"Hmm, okay so it's really rather simple. Today we'll all meet at Emily's for lunch. The pack will be there anyways to it won't be much of a challenge. What we have to do is pretend to fight over Embry. We'll be drawing so much positive attention towards him Aria will notice how perfect he is for her. Though there are a _few_ details we'll need to work out. But that's the basic idea."

"Will Embry be up for that?"

"It's to make Aria think of him positively, isn't it?"

"Well, _yeah_, but he might not want our help. Or he might be scared it won't work."

"I think he'll go for it. It doesn't have to seem like he has feelings for us."

I thought it over,

"That's actually not half bad, Nessie. I just hope it'll work."

"Two more details: How will you get all your sisters there and do you think Emily will mind?"

"Nessie, it's _you_! Emily wouldn't care if you brought a chimpanzee for dinner!"

"Yes she would," Nessie disagreed.

"Whatever. My sisters will be up for it, as long as it's just the older ones I can get them there no problem."

"Good idea. The younger ones wouldn't be necessary to drag in."

"So it's all good then," I sighed in relief, "I think this will fix a lot of things, pulling them into the pack like that. It's so difficult to deal with all these feelings everyone has for one another. Sometimes I wished it was simpler and they all had happy endings already."

Nessie's eyes left my face for a split second and then she took a deep breath and hopped off the table.

"I'll be in the kitchen. I think Aunt Rosalie wanted to do my hair today." And with that, Nessie stepped close to me and pressed her hand against my arm.

An image flashed through my mind and it made my heart tighten.

Seth had the most pained, hurt expression in his eyes. An expression I had never noticed before. He stared at me with such longing, such want and hurt and pain that it could bring tears to any human's eyes.

I slid my eyes over to his face as Nessie left us to the kitchen. His eyes moved to the pretzels and I didn't see the same thing Nessie had been able to see. The hurt and the longing weren't there.

Was it gone? Was I blind to it? Or was he hiding it from me?

"Seth?" I asked, unsure of what I planned on saying. He looked back up at me,

"…Just one little pretzel?"

I sighed,

"I don't want to share with you."

"Then don't."

Our staring contest that I hadn't even realized had been taking place was broke when a loud, running body made his way through the Cullen's front door and over to us.

"We're late!" Josh told Seth, in panic.

Seth glanced at the clock on the Cullen's living room wall,

"Yup, Jake's gonna kill us," he said, taking a deep breath and standing up off the couch.

"Tell him Nessie said she wanted you here," I suggested, giggling at Josh's worried expression.

"But I didn't!" Nessie called from the kitchen, "No lying to Jacob!"

"Thanks," Seth called back sarcastically. He waved bye to me and jogged out of the house.

Josh turned to follow after him and then glanced at me,

"Why haven't you been talking to me? We used to be best friends."

I glared at him coldly,

"You made me cry on my birthday."

Josh looked at me in confusion that turned to realization,

"I'm so sorr-"

A wolf howl came from the woods.

"Seth needs you. Get out of here, loser," I mumbled. Josh scratched the back of his head, thinking for a moment and then left.

_-Earlier that day-_

Noelle's POV

"Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me  
I think they're okay,  
If they don't give me proper credit  
I just walk away_"_

I sang along with the song on my iPod as I searched the cabinets for something to eat. It was supposed to be Deanna's turn to make breakfast but she was no where to be seen.

"Ani!" I bellowed, not really sure where _she_ was either.

"What, Noelle?" Ani hollered back from the playroom.

"Do you know where Mom put the waffles?"

"No!"

I sighed and scooped out a bowl of yogurt instead.

Josh's POV

_Security sure is low in this place…_

I kicked the ajar front door of the Brentwoods' house open and found myself in their living room. I spotted the most beautiful girl I've ever seen sitting at their dining room table eating a bowl of yogurt.

As I got closer I could hear clearly the music she was listening to on her iPod.

" _Living in a material world  
And I am a material girl  
You know that we are living in a material world  
And I am a material girl_

_Some boys romance, some boys slow dance  
That's all right with me  
If they cant raise my interest then I  
Have to let them be_

_Some boys try and some boys lie but  
I don't let them play  
Only boys who save their pennies  
Make my rainy day, cause they are"_

Noelle's POV

I saw something out of the corner of my eye and turned to look behind me where none other than Josh was lip-syncing and dancing to _'Material Girl_'.

He was dancing like he was Britney Spears. He was shaking his hips and throwing back his nonexistent long hair and everything.

He smiled at me as my jaw dropped open. Then we both started laughing.

"What are you doing here?" I asked after I regained my calmness.

"I came to see you," he said, sounding completely honest.

I blushed.

"Noey! Noey!" Elise called as she ran over to Josh and I. She looked excited as she held out a small white object for me to see. I gasped and smiled,

"You lost your tooth!"

"I know! I know! See?" Elise showed me where her tooth had been, as if she hadn't been showing me how wiggly it was everyday for the last month or so.

"What time is it? I wanna know so I can tell Mom what time I lost it when she gets back from shopping with Uncle Collin!"

"Okay! Let's see, it's...11:07."

"What?" Josh's eyes popped out of his head, "Oh my God, I'm so late! Catch you later, Noelle!"

_-7-Eleven_-_7-Eleven_- - -_7-Eleven_- -

Aria's POV

"Who are Sam and Emily?" I asked Deanna, not sure if I liked her spontaneous suggestion to go to a stranger's house for lunch.

"They're my friends. I promise it's safe. Mom will never know; she and Collin _did_ say they might not be back until dinner," Deanna assured me.

"I'm going, Ar, so it doesn't matter whether you think it's safe," Noelle announced. Aria narrowed her eyes,

"I'm you're older sister."

"So?" Noelle said in a nasty tone.

"Who's watching us?" Tasha asked.

"Oh yeah…." Ani thought for a moment, "You can go over your friend's house."

"So it's all settled then. C'mon, Aria, you _know_ you want to come!" Deanna looked at me hopefully.

"Fine, I might as well come seeing as either way you'll be pushing me into the deep end of the pool." I sighed at my support in their plan. _They never listen to me!_

"Great!" Deanna smiled widely, "This will be fun. My friend Seth's going to give us a ride. He'll be here any second."

"You're friend's old enough to drive?" I questioned my little sister. _Oh. My. Gosh. This is what happens when a mother allows her daughter to go off alone for hours at a clip with no indication as to where she is. _

Deanna nodded nervously.

"It's _fine_, Aria. We're old enough to know who's bad or good." Noelle's tone upset me. I clamped my mouth shut with a _click_, stomping out of the room. Arguing with Noelle would get me nowhere.

Deanna's POV

I barely had time to breathe a 'hello' to Seth as he climbed out of his old Saturn when Aria stuck her tan hand out to shake his.

"My name's Aria. You must be Seth."

_Umm…_ If I didn't know any better I'd think she was _flirting_ with him. But, no, this is just Aria's way of being polite and friendly. Friendly's generally something one doesn't get from Aria so she's out of practice.

Seth's eyes lingered on my face for a moment more before he allowed himself to shake Aria's hand.

"I'm Seth Clearwater. Dee's friend. Are you _all_ coming?" He asked, sounding confused as he looked between his small Saturn and the seven of us.

"We're dropping the three younger one's off at their friends, buddy-bud," I explained as I pulled open the back door of the Saturn and waved my sisters to get in.

"You'll all fit?" Seth sounded confused.

"I call shotgun!" Noelle exclaimed, running over to the passenger's side door.

"We've squished into smaller," I assured Seth as Aria rolled her eyes at Noelle.

Seth shrugged.

"Noelle shouldn't be able to sit in the front! We _always_ have to squish in the back. _I_ deserve to more than she does!" Ani huffed.

"Noe, get in the back. I'm sitting in the front," Aria told Noelle.

"Hey, it's Seth's car! _He_ can choose who sits with him in the front."

"Sorry for all our bickering," Aria apologized to Seth.

Seth nodded and then looked at me,

"Dee, why don't_ you_ sit up front with me?"

I rolled my eyes and huffed and puffed my way over to the passenger's seat.

After dropping Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen off we headed to the rez and pulled up to Sam and Emily's house.

"We're here!" Seth announced as my sisters scrambled out of the backseat as fast as they could.

"_Aria!_" Noelle whined, "You totally ruined my hair!"

"Sorry," Aria said as she unwrinkled her shirt.

Aria's POV

Seth and Deanna led us into the small house. It was warm, unlike the chilly overcast outside.

A scent of blueberry muffins filled the kitchen. Crowding the room were six tall, muscular, attractive guys, scarffing down muffins like a pack of hungry wolves. Not even kidding, they looked ridiculous!

A couple of them stopped to look at us. Both of them I recognized: Embry and Josh.

Embry swallowed the muffins he had in his mouth and stood up straighter, his gaze focused directly at me. Josh had a similar look towards Noelle, except his had a hint of awe to it.

Embry just looked nervous and caught off guard.

He noticed I was examining him and he smiled in a friendly sort of way. It was then I paid notice to the three girls in the room.

Two of them seemed older than me. The other was breath takingly beautiful and ageless. My guess was that she could be about seven.

All three were smiling at us. The youngest looked like she was anticipating something interesting to happen. The younger of the older two- about eighteen, it seemed- looked like she was slightly confused and the oldest who was holding another tray of muffins and had an ugly scar etched along one side of her face, was scrutinizing our every detail and movement.

We all stood in silence for a second.

Ani bit her nails anxiously, I fiddled with my hair, and Noelle rubbed her arm.

"Hi…" the woman holding a tray of muffins began, thinking of what she could say, "I'm Emily, Sam's wife. What are your girls' names?"

The three of us exchanged nervous glances and I spoke first,

"I'm Aria."

"I'm Noelle."

"And I'm Ani."

"Oh, well, it's very nice to meet you…"

I couldn't help but think that she wanted to ask another question. She looked between us and the guys a couple times before the beautiful little girl hopped off the counter she was sitting on and- in one big, graceful stride- approached us.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Nessie."

"She's my best friend," Dee told us, grinning at Nessie.

We must have looked very confused and awkward, just standing there, uncomfortable.

"I'm Sam Uley, nice to finally meet you, Brentwoods'," one of the tallest and older guys said, half-smiling.

"And I'm Jake."

Our eyes widened at _his_ hugeness. That guy has some _muscle!_

"Yeah, and you all know Embry, Josh, Taylor and Seth. That's Brady and Audrine," Deanna pointed.

"Hi," I timidly waved.

Seth took in a deep breath,

"Well, now that we're all done with introductions…let's eat!"

Everyone immediately agreed and the next thing I know we were all outside in the backyard eating hamburgers. Dee had arranged it so Ani and Taylor were sitting together with Josh and Noelle while me, her, and Nessie sat on the lawn with Jake, Audrine, and Seth.

"No, no, _no_! _I_ get to sit next to Jake!" Dee argued with Nessie.

"Ah, so typical…" Seth muttered.

"What?" I asked.

"They always fight over these two guys…" Audrine told me.

"Hey, can I sit with you?" Embry asked us, staring only at me. I looked away.

"Of course, silly! You can sit next to me so I can be between you _and_ Jake! Take _that_, Dee!" Nessie stuck her tongue out.

"_Oooooh_, I don't _think_ so, Ness! _I_ want to at least be able to sit with Embry. He's so smart and quiet and fun and awesome. In fact you can _keep_ Jake!" Dee fought back.

Nessie pouted,

"That's not very fair! Embry's the better one!" Nessie whined.

"Hey! I _am_ cool! Not just anyone can be the pack leader!"

Jake's words were followed by many shushes.

"Oh come _on_, we all know _I'm_ the best!" Seth declared, standing up and spreading his arms apart, "Now everyone, BASK IN MY GLORY!"

"Oh, just sit down!" Dee called up to him. He looked at her,

"If I do will you sit on my lap?"

Dee snorted,

"Fat chance."

Seth's shoulders slumped and he hung his head in disappointment and rejection as he sat back down.

_What's up with Seth and Dee?_

I looked over at Embry and- I think I might need glasses because it looked like he just _winked_ at me!

Ahahahahaha, like I'll _ever_ have a chance with him.


	7. And Paint The House!

-ELEVEN

_Chapter 6: Go Take a Shower, Wash Your Mouth out with Soap, Say Three Hail Mary's, an Our Father, and Paint the House!_

**Aria-16, Analiese-13, Deanna-13, Noelle-11, Tasha-9, Elise-6, Kathleen-6 **

**Embry (Aria), Taylor (Ani), Seth (Dee), Josh (Noelle), Collin (Jenny) **

Aria's POV

Another rainy day. They never end.

But I'm not complaining. The rain is peaceful, calming. The soft drops of water run down my skin in a soothing sort of manner.

I love the rain, the gloom, the chill…the darkness.

Some say I'd make a great Goth… 'some' being my friend, Amanda. She's not much better, though.

She's the same friend who gives me rides to the beach now and then. She lives in town. I met her and my new friend Charles when we first moved here.

Tasha and Kathleen were collecting rocks along the side of the street as we made our way back towards the house.

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to flatten it. It gets frizzy so easily. I must look like a fool, it's so ugly all the time.

A memory from yesterday's lunch at Sam and Emily's ran through my head,

_Embry winked at me. _

_What now?_

_Jake looked between us, noticing that Embry and I were staring at each other. The muscular guy coughed and then he and Nessie got up followed by Audrine, Brady, Seth, and Dee._

_That leaves me and Embry. _

_His intense stare stayed on me as he moved closer, now sitting next to me. _

_I bit the inside of my cheek. My heart raced. This was awkward… _

_His expression changed a little, as if he could detect my change in heart rate, which wouldn't make sense so that can't be it. _

_I waited for him to say something first. _

_His eyes flicked up to my hair, then met my eyes once again._

"_You're hair's pretty." _

_My breath caught in surprise,_

"_Thanks," I replied, turning away. _

_From behind me I heard him sigh and leave me to myself. _

"Tasha pushed me into a puddle of mud!" Kathleen cried, now covered in mud.

"I did _not_, Kathleen!" Tasha protested, crossing her arms.

"Tasha! Why would you do that?" I demanded.

"She was being mean to me! And I _didn't_!"

I sighed and opened the front door, having now reached the house.

Mom gasped,

"Kathleen! What happened to you?"

"Tasha and her got in a fight and she pushed Kathleen in a puddle," I explained.

"No I didn't, _Aria_! That's not true, Mom! Aria's _lying_!"

"Tasha, don't lie to me," Mom said.

"_I'M NOT_! Aria's been a really bad girl, Mom! Yesterday I heard her say 'fresh sizzle' about a guy she knows!"

My eyes fell out of my head.

_Crap!_

"What?"

"No,no! That's not what happened!" I tried to explain but Mom wasn't having any of it.

She pointed to Kathleen,

"Go take a shower!" she pointed to me, "Wash your mouth out with soap!" she pointed to Tasha, "Say three Hail Mary's, an Our Father!" and then she pointed to an unsuspecting Noelle who just happened to be walking by, "And go paint the house!"

Mother stormed off to the kitchen and Noelle looked at us confused,

"…Is she serious?"

We nodded.

Noelle groaned in annoyance and dragged her feet to the garage for the paint cans.

I glared at Tasha and Kathleen for getting me into trouble. Tasha glared right on back and Kathleen ignored us both, heading off to take a shower.

Frustrated, I made my way downstairs and to my secret hiding spot in the cupboard. I pulled my iPod out of my pocket and feel asleep to 'Spaceman' by The Killers.

Josh's POV

I phased back into human form and approached the Brentwoods' house. A smile formed on my face the moment I saw her, painting the house, her long blonde hanging loosely around her shoulders. An angel is what she is.

"Hi, Noelley."

Her eyes snapped up to mine,

"Josh!" she said, surprised.

"Hey, beautiful. Whatcha doing?"

"Hmm, just painting the house. My mom's being stupid and annoying as always."

"She's making _you_ paint the house? Here, I have to help," I reached out and grabbed a brush, dipping it in the paint and painting with her in silence for a few moments.

From the corner of my eye I could see her occasionally glancing at me, watching me…examining me.

She's so perfect…

I dipped my brush in the paint again and then quickly swung it back to the house.

"Hey!" Noelle said, sounding insulted.

I looked to see that some of the paint from my brush had splashed across her face and hair.

My expression turned to horror,

"Oh no…"

Noelle narrowed her eyes and dipped her brush into the paint can, flicking paint straight at my face.

I wiped it off and smiled wickedly,

"Oh, you want a paint fight, do you?"

Noelle ran her brush along the front of my chest, covering me in more paint.

I painted her shoulder.

And then things got ugly.

Noelle screamed as I threw handfuls of paint at her. At this point we were both completely coated in blue.

She matched by tactic by running into the garage and bringing out a new can of green paint.

"Take this!" She hurled it at me and the can landed upside down on my head. I pulled it off and grabbed the hose, squirting her with it. I laughed as she willingly let the water wash the paint from her clothes.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, guys?" Collin's stern voice stopped us both in our tracks.

I dropped the hose.

"You _ruined_ the house!" Collin looked horrified as he examined the blue and green splatters all over the side of the house.

"It's not like you should care, back off!" Noelle told him, wringing out her soaking wet hair.

"In fact I _do_ care, Miss-I-can-Do-Whatever-I-Want-Because-I'm-So-Special!"

"She _is_ special," I growled.

Collin growled back.

"What's going on?" Tasha asked, joining the three of us.

Collin's expression soften,

"Nothing. Wanna help me finish mowing the back lawn?"

"Sure!" Tasha agreed, "Hi, Josh," she waved flirtatiously at me. I smiled unsurely as the two of them walked away.

I took a breath and turned back to Noelle,

"Sorry, I have to get going."

"Okay. Bye, Steroids."

I smiled and left.

Embry's POV

"Where could she be?" I asked Audrine, my neighbor and past girlfriend. I was in a total frenzy to find my imprint.

I had looked everywhere, even the beach! She was no where to be found and it was driving me insane._ This is what happens when they don't know the secret!_

"You can't just ask her sisters?"

"I _did_. I asked Dee! She said no one's seen her since this morning!"

Audrine sighed,

"Well can't you feel a pull towards her from somewhere?"

"I tried following my instincts and ending up at her house, but everyone says she's not home…Maybe she's avoiding me…" My head dropped and guilt/depression absorbed me.

"Aw, don't think that. I'm sure she likes you."

"But I _have_ to see her today!"

"…I'm out of ideas. What happens if you don't see her?"

The idea made my stomach twist and my heart stop,

"I'll die."

Audrine rolled her eyes,

"No you won't, she still needs you. Stop being so dramatic."

"I feel like I'm dying!"

"You're fine! CHILL OUT! Wait outside of her house all night if you have to, just don't do anything rash."

I nodded.

"Worst case scenario, you'll see her at the bonfire tomorrow night," Audrine reminded me.

"But I _need_ to see her _now_!"

"You'll live."


	8. Noelle did you wear this today?

New wolfpack members: Chris, Nate, Kyle, Katie, Alan, Taylor, and Josh. I should have explained this earlier, sorry! It's all explained in detail in my other story 'Brady and Me'. All of these new shape shifters are really young even though they look older. They range from ten to thirteen. In Breaking Dawn it said they had new really young members when the Volturi came so these are them. Lol, and of course there is SEVEN new members! =D

The Brentwoods: Jennifer (widowed Mom,) Aria (16,) Analiese (13,) Deanna (13,) Noelle (11,) Tasha (9,) Elise (7,) and Kathleen (7)

**Chapter 7: **_**Noelle did you wear this today?**_

**(Anyone else notice that this is chapter **_**SEVEN**_** …predict something big might happen this chapter? *hint, hint. Wink, wink*)**

The seven girls ran about the house in panic, turning whatever bit of organization Jennifer had achieved into a mess.

What an uproar over a simple invitation to a bonfire!

I stood wide-eyed, only wishing I could seize Noelle from shouting and laughing in excitement. I would have stopped her, but we all know of her tendency to become quickly petulant. She was going to disrupt Jennifer, who was trying to make an important phone call.

"No, Deanna! I was going to wear that shirt!" Noelle whined.

"I already have it on, Noelle," Dee reminded her. Dee seemed to have no interest in being selective over her wardrobe; instead she was transfixed on her conversation with Aria, concerned with everything her older sister had to say.

"Are you scared she'll run?" I asked Dee, as Aria went to help pick an outfit for the youngest. Dee didn't have to look up very far to meet my eyes; the girl was getting taller by the moment!

"I have no predictions, Collin," she shrugged, "but Embry is worried sick about her. She had been hidden away some where in the house yesterday and no one could find her."

"Hidden in the house?" I inquired. _That's strange..._

"Collin! Collin! Where have you put my shoes? I saw you with them this morning, when you were cleaning," Ani asked, approaching me.

_Oh, that's right. __**I**__ obtained the bit of organization they just ruined…_

I sighed and fetched Ani's shoes.

"Just remember you're helping Jenny!" Dee called to me as I walked upstairs. Suddenly I was enjoying my volunteer work/torture.

Tasha POV

My sisters and I were freaking out. Josh had invited us all to the bonfire the guys are having tonight. After _begging_ our mother she finally said that we could go. Collin has promised he'd keep an eye on us and she quickly trusted him.

We're even bringing the little twins!

Well, in honest it would be mean of us not to considering it's their seventh birthday. It's actually pretty funny because their birthday is six days after Deanna's and Ani's.

I dug through a pile of laundry.

"Noelle, did you wear this today?" I asked my older sister, holding up a pretty blue blouse that matched my shorts exactly.

"Heads up!" I heard a deep voice call. I turned around just in time to catch a flying pair of Ani's shoes. Collin looked suspiciously cheerful.

Deanna's POV

How can you explain to your sisters what the bonfires are like? You can't. You just can't.

I've had my fair share of them, and the first time I went I thought the story was really cool. Mostly because I knew it was true. I had a feeling Aria would love it, Noelle might fall asleep (in Josh's arms,) and Elise and Kathleen would think it's the coolest bedtime story ever told. Tasha might interrupt to ask questions but she'll also think it's cool. Analiese I'm not so sure about.

Analiese's POV

_What. The heck. Are we doing here.? _

_All the steroids guys are probably coming together to shoot up…together. _

My suspicions remained if not increased as we emerged from Collin's car and moved closer to the bonfire.

Noelle straightened out her short skirt,

"I cannot believe Aria and Collin made us get in his car. Seth's was bad enough. Neither_ have his license_!"

"I think the rules are different on the rez," I told her.

"I don't care; he's still a freak like the rest of them…. Oh my gosh, we're getting closer!" She squealed.

Sure enough, about four hundred (note the exaggeration) hot, shirtless guys and a few dozen girls were sitting around a huge fire, chatting up a storm. _Or 'shooting' up a storm, if you know what I mean…stupid steroids. _I shivered at the weirdness.

"There all so unrealistically-"

"Hot?" Noelle finished, sounding more and more excited by the second. I looked at her oddly,

"I was going to say muscular."

"Well, they _are_ on steroids, Ani," Noelle reminded me.

"Exactly," I agreed.

"Of course, only you two would wear short skirts to a bonfire. You do know it's going to get _dark_ and _cold_ out, right? Plus it's Forks and La Push so chances are we'll have rain too," Tasha teased us, rolling her eyes.

"_You're_ wearing shorts," Noelle and I said at the same time. It's like _we're_ twins instead of me and Deanna.

"Yeah but I brought a sweater!"

"Tasha! Come walk with Elise!" Aria called.

"Aria, look at them! They're going to get cold!" Tasha told Aria as she walked over to a very energized Elise.

Aria laughed,

"I'm sure they're hoping one of those _guys_ offers them a sweater or puts their arm around them to keep them warm."

Dee-Dee laughed too,

"Or at least _Noelle_'s hoping _Josh_ will do that!"

Collin was already at the bonfire when we had just reached ten feet away. A guy was standing at the edge of the crowd, staring in our direction. Once for a split second his hand lifted up as if he was reaching out to something but he quickly dropped it.

Then we reached them.

"Embry!" Tasha immediately recognized the one who had been staring at us. Correction: staring at _Aria_, I noticed.

One side of Embry's mouth turned up a little, giving us a brief moments worth of a half-smile. He looked out of it.

_More evidence they're all on drugs._

"Noelle!" Josh came running over to us. Except he never did stop. Instead, he crashed right into Noelle on purpose, knocking her backwards and catching her so he could pull her into a greeting hug.

"Hi,… Josh," Noelle laughed nervously.

Deanna watched them smugly, as if she was in on some joke while the rest of us giggled and snickered.

"Hey, Ani," Taylor said friendlily, stuffing his hands in his pockets to look casual. I tried not to gawk at the fact he had no shirt on.

Josh didn't either…poor Noelle.

_Yup, that's like a sure sign of dopey-ness. Forgetting clothing. _

"Hi, Taylor. Nice to see you again."

Seth waved us closer to the fire.

We reached Seth. Dee stood as far away from him as possible. I heard from Aria that he been apparently flirting with her at Sam and Emily's the other day.

"Hey! Everyone!" Collin called out, "Say 'hi' to the Brentwood sisters!"

All faces turned, unblinkingly examining us. A few I recognized. Sam caught my eyes and he smiled at me, I smiled back.

"I think you know some of us. There's me, Seth, Brady, Audrine, Embry, Taylor, Josh, Sam, Emily, Alan, Chris, Paul, Rachel, Kim, Jared, Quil, Claire, Jacob, Nessie, Katie, Leah, Nate, and Kyle."

Collin pointed around the bonfire. There was _no way_ I could remember all those names!

"Yeah, and I'm sure you guys know by now, but these are my sisters Aria, Ani, Noelle, Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen," Deanna introduced us.

Someone whistled suggestively (Kyle, maybe?.)

"Back off," Deanna hissed, sounding disgusted.

A few growls emerged from the throats of Embry, Seth, Josh, and even Collin!

"Yeah, we all know a good 57% percent of them are taken," a guy I think was named Alan said.

_Woah, quick math!_

"I'll be pulling out a calculator later to check that," Chris said.

"Can't we just trust him? We all know he has one in his brains," said Paul somewhat mockingly. Alan threw something at him.

"Did they just say 57% of _us_ are taken?" I whispered to Noelle. She shrugged, looking just as confused and awkward as I was.

A lady named Leah started laughing along with another girl Katie. Both were extremely muscular. It was weird because it was as if they found what I said to Noelle funny, but there was no way they could have heard that. I gulped nervously.

"Should we sit down now?" Aria whispered to Deanna, sounding way more nervous than any of us. It probably was because of the spaced-out creeper stare Embry was giving her.

I stepped back a little, noticing that Josh had his arm around Noelle.

Deanna cleared her throat,

"Well, if you fools are all done staring, I think we'll sit down now."

Talking resumed amongst the people as we all sat on the ground, close to the fire so we could keep warm.

Sam came over to sit next to Elise and Kathleen. He smiled warmly at them and for a moment he looked _exactly_ like our father had. I watched in awe as he talked with them.

"What are your names again?" He asked, smiling. They took to his kindness immediately.

"I'm Elise,"

"And I'm Kathleen."

"It's very nice to meet you, I'm Sam Uley."

He took their tiny hands.

"How are you today?" He continued.

"Good," Elise giggled.

"Today's our birthday!" Kathleen exclaimed. Sam's eyes widened in exaggerated amazement,

"Really? How old are you, Elise and Kathleen?"

"Seven," Elise said as Kathleen held up six fingers. The curly-haired girl quickly realized her mistake and put up a seventh finger.

"How old are you?" Kathleen asked Sam.

Sam chuckled,

"Too old."

"I think you're not too old. My mommy's older than _you_! Did you know that we have seven children in our family?"

"Wow, that's pretty cool. You guys are really nice."

"Thanks, you're really nice too," Elise told him.

"I'm glad you think so," Sam laughed, "Most of _these_ guys don't."

"Oh?" Elise asked, sounding very sophisticated.

"Mhm."

"Well that's just because you don't have any kids," Elise explained, as if everything was rather simple.

"Yeah, kids make you look fun," Kathleen agreed, nodding.

"I will soon," Sam beamed, his eyes breaking away from their small faces to another face of a woman with a scar on one side.

_Emily's expecting?_

"Do you like my fire? I ordered Paul to build it all by myself."

The little twins laughed.

"You can't say 'all by myself' if you had Paul do it!" Kathleen giggled.

"But I didn't want to do it!" Sam fake-whined, "And Paul wanted to!"

"I don't think so!" Elise sang, "I think you're lying!"

"He is," Paul grumbled. Paul was sitting with an older woman named Rachel. They had there arms wrapped around each other so I figured they were romantically inclined.

"Do you two like stories?" Sam asked the little twins. They nodded,

"I like the kind my daddy used to tell me," Elise said.

Sam suddenly looked genuinely intrigued,

"And did they have wolves in them?"

"Yes," Kathleen and Elise nodded, "Lots."

"I like those kinds too. I think I'll tell one today."

"Really?" Elise asked, "Oh my gosh, that's so cool!"

Sam smiled and then said bye to them, walking back over to Emily. Elise and Kathleen started telling Aria all about their conversation with Sam when Taylor sat down next to me.

"Mind if I sit here, Ani?"

"Yeah, sure," I said quietly.

"Claire! Wait up for Quil!" Jacob warned a three-year-old as she skipped towards the little twins.

"Hi! I'm Claire! Can we be friends?"

Elise and Kathleen smiled and whispered to each other, "Aw, what a cute little girl!"

"Sure we can!" They told her. Claire smiled triumphantly and sat down next to them. Quickly a guy, Quil, joined her and introduced himself to Elise and Kathleen.

"Sam Uley told us he's telling a wolf story!" Elise said to Claire.

"I know! Wolf stories are my favorite. Right, Qwil?"

Quil ruffled her hair,

"Sure thing, my little Claire," he smiled. I guessed they were cousins or something.

The next hour was one filled with Sam Uley telling Quileute tribe legends. By the time he was finished, Aria was lost in her imagination, Noelle was drifting off to sleep on Josh's shoulder, the twins were amazed, Tasha was asking Sam a series of questions, and I was thinking:

_Wow. What a crazy story. It's like they all believe it. I bet they're all OD-ed on something right now._

Aria's POV

My mind was filled with different story plots that I had just created from the old tribal legends Sam had told.

My eyes drifted away from the fire to the face that held an expression that could kill an army, and not because it was mean. Embry's face held the very essence of depression. It seemed as if he had just spent many years and years of torture. Dark, dark circles were under his eyes.

An army would fall to his feet in pity, in sympathy. I was about to if he didn't snap out of it.

_That doesn't sound weird, right? I mean, anyone would with that look on his face!_

He saw that I was looking at him and he lightened up a bit. But still it seemed like a sort of conflict was playing out deep inside of him.

His face was a collection of all the battle wounds.

"Can I have a moment with you?" His tall figure shadowed over me, leaning down towards me now that he had sauntered over to me in the most indecisive way.

'_Are you sure?' _I felt like asking him. I looked over at my sisters: Noelle was happily snoozing on an even happier Josh's shoulder; Ani was having a sort of no-eye-contact staring contest with Taylor; Tasha was engaged in some sort of question and answer session with Sam over every imaginable detail involving the legends and shapeshifters; Deanna was in some argument with the guy Jared because apparently she was talking to his girlfriend Kim when he just came over and interrupted their conversation; and lastly but not leastly, Elise and Kathleen were teaching Claire how to correctly say 'Quil' even though they even still said it with a sort of baby-talk twist.

I met Embry's searching gaze and he grabbed my hand.

"Come with me, please?" He begged, semi-stepping in the direction of the woods, away from the bonfire.

_Yeah, Aria! Let's go in the woods all alone with a guy that you have no chance of self defense against! Wow! What a FABULOUS idea! _

"Umm…" I couldn't help but openly consider it, I _wanted_ to please him, to go with him. Partly out of curiosity, mostly out of some strange feeling that led me to believe he wanted to tell me something important.

Embry's eyes left mine as a girl walked over to us. Embry's hand was still wrapped around my wrist, pulling me ever so slightly.

"Hi again, Aria. You must remember me from Sam and Emily's house? I'm Audrine."

"Oh, yes, I do. Hi."

Embry raised his eyebrow at Audrine as if to say, _You interrupt me NOW?_

He was really super cute when he raised his eyebrow….heehee…

Audrine gave him a look telling him that she knew what she was doing and Embry resumed to keeping eye contact with me.

"Embry's a nice kid, give him a chance. I know, I used to date him," Audrine whispered in my ear. She left us. I blinked at Embry once, thinking. Then I slowly nodded. He helped me up and quietly led me into the mysterious woods.

I felt like something bad was going to happen. Not because I didn't trust him, just because the woods gave me the creeps. Everything gives me with creeps when it's not filled with the loud chatter and laughter of my sisters, all the noise I'm so accustom to.

We walked a good five minutes before we reached a cliff face about a head above me. Embry climbed it quickly, and then offered his hand to pull me up.

"This is a small pond," he explained, "That I found when I was on patrol one time. I needed some time to think."

"Patrol?" I asked curiously, taking in the peaceful little pond that Embry and I were now sitting at.

"We're the tribe protectors."

"Oh," _So he's some sort of tribe warrior?_ I didn't understand.

"Aria, I need to tell you something. It's because I need you to understand."

I was as if he read my mind. His voice was low, as if it was very serious, and he leaned in close to me, voice a little above a whisper.

"Okay," I replied, listening.

" I don't want to scare you away but yesterday the absence of your knowledge kept us apart. So I'm telling you a great secret. I know you can keep it," he smiled mildly for a moment, pausing, "Two years ago my life changed. One day I was best friends with Jacob and Quil, the next day I'm a monster that cannot go near them otherwise I kill them. Aria, I am a shape shifter. Just like the legends," he suddenly choked on his words and gulped. My face was turning red, feeling self-conscious.

"Can you just…please understand I'll tell you everything you want to know. …you know how shape shifters found a special connections with some of their wives? Well, it happens the moment a shape shifter sees their perfect match and we call it imprinting. Needless to say, I-…" He looked away for a moment, scared to death of my reaction, "I…imprinted on you." He told me, once again making eye contact.

"I'm meant to be with you?" I almost asked, but instead it came out as the most inaudible whispers.

But he nodded, still able to hear it someway.

A few long minutes passed and I collected myself.

"Calm down, Embry. I'm not going to hurt you," I assured him.

Embry thought a moment, then smiled.

"C'mon, we better get back to the bonfire."

Noelle's POV

"Oh _please_, just admit it's _a little_ weird for your soul mate to be an older woman by so much," Alan said, joining in with the teasing of Collin. For some reason that kept saying 'soul mate.' I guess just to further tease Collin, they kept trying to make it sound like he was in love with our mom! How weird!

Seth and Dee were staying out of it.

Everyone else, however, including me and my other sisters, were completely and devoting in.

"It's not weird! Shut up!"

"Eww! Will you two _get a room_ or _something_?" Quil snapped at Jared and Kim. They were making out in front of everyone. Quil shielded Clarie's eyes.

Kim laughed awkwardly and the two left.

"I guess it's time to be going," Collin said grumpily. I heard Josh whine in protest. I stood up straight, no longer leaning on his shoulder. He pouted at me,

"You could stay longer, if you want. I could get you home."

"…" _As WEIRD as that sounds…_ "No thanks. Sorry, Josh, but I really have to get going. But I had a fun time tonight. Your shoulder makes a great pillow."

"Must be from all the steroids," Ani added. She said bye to Taylor and Elise and Kathleen hugged Claire goodbye, too. Tasha had made friends with Brady and Audrine so she hugged them both as well as Sam and Emily.

"Wait, don't forget about Aria," Deanna reminded us. She was sitting on a log next to Seth. Seth had done a lot of pouting and pleading and begging and sweet-talking to get her there, too.

"Where did she go, anyway?" Ani asked.

"Somewhere with Embry," Katie- the over energetic girl who looked like she's seventeen but acts like she's ten- said.

"Oooooh," Chris said.

"Uh!" I exclaimed, rather insulted that he would suggest such thing about my very well behaved older sister. Josh hit Chris in the stomach.

"Just kidding!" Chris quickly amended, fearing more pain.

We all stared towards the woods as Embry and Aria emerged. They looked exactly the same as when they left, except Embry didn't look like the walking dead anymore. He actually looked normal.

They-looking awkward because we were all staring at them- reached us and we quickly explained to Aria it was time to go. Everyone watched as she looked at Embry- intending to say goodbye. Embry smiled at her and whispered goodbye. She smiled and then we left.

Oh yeah, and I hugged Josh about four times before we left, too.


	9. That's MY pen!

The Brentwoods: Jennifer (widowed Mom,) Aria (16,) Analiese (13,) Deanna (13,) Noelle (11,) Tasha (9,) Elise (7,) and Kathleen (7)

7-ELEVEN

_Chapter 8: That's my pen!_

Aria's POV

Never, ever, ever had I expected to find myself caught in this situation.

Here I sat, writing about shape shifters _in my diary_.

It was absurd! I write _fiction_ all the time. But never in _my diary_. It's the one place I always tell the absolute truth.

So to be writing about something that seems _fictional_ in my _diary_ was almost more difficult of a concept to wrap my head around than the fact that Embry Call was a shape shifter who had imprinted on me.

Whatever that's supposed to mean to me, I don't know. I'm lost on what to do.

It's like someone's took my map of the world and tossed it out the window. Everything's different.

"No! _Noelle_! Mom said _I _could make breakfast!"

_And yet, some things never change. _

Tasha and Noelle were arguing in the kitchen. Even still, everyone was in a better mood than normal.

"Whatcha writin', Aria?" Analiese asked, trying to read my diary. I coved the words with my hand.

"Stop it, Ani," I pleaded. If she drew too much attention, soon the whole house would want to know.

"Yeah, what _are_ you writing about?" Noelle asked, leaving the kitchen to Tasha, "Maybe what you and Embry _did_ when you two left alone?"

"That's what I was thinking," Ani giggled, agreeing.

I raised my eyebrows at them,

"Yeah, right. Who do you think I am? Do you honestly believe I would do something _like that_?"

"I don't know," Noelle clicked her tongue, "you two were gone for awhile. If it wasn't anything like _that_ then you must have done _something_. Just tell us where you went…"

"Did you have a romantic walk through the forest?" Ani asked, "Did he say he loved you?" she teased, dramatically.

"Seriously, guys. Get a grip. Nothing happened. Plus I never said I liked Embry. And who says he likes _me_?" I fibbed, rolling my eyes. A smile snuck on to my face just thinking about what Embry _did_ say…

"Ooooooh, look! She's smiling! Mom says that means you like someone!" Noelle and Ani continued to tease me as Deanna entered the dining room to join us.

"Aria-" she began, but she was cut off by Noelle and Ani.

"Deanna knows Embry better than we do. You think Embry likes Aria, right?" They asked her. Deanna looked between the three of us,

"Uh…" she scratched her head, "yeah?...sure?"

"See? You guys are being stupid," I said, trying to close the subject, "Absolutely _nothing_ happened."

Ani and Noelle sighed, giving up.

"Hey, can I have that?" Noelle asked casually, pointing to something on the table.

"What?" I asked. With one swift motion, Noelle's hand flew out and stole my pen I had been using to write in my diary.

"Hey! That's _my_ pen!" I shouted, standing up to reach after it, "Give it back!" I demanded.

"Ha ha!" Ani sang. I turned around to see that she had my diary in her hands.

"ANI!" I shouted.

Deanna laughed, amused with the typical sisterly behavior.

"No! Please!" I begged, about to break down in total panic. I sprung towards Ani, trying to get my diary back. She dodged me and ran through the house, me right behind her.

"Give it! C'MON! It's MINE!" I screamed and begged that she give it back. _Stupid, Aria! Day one with the secret and it's already revealed! _

My eyes filled with tears of frustration as Ani opened the diary to where I had been writing.

"STOP! You _can't_! You don't understand! PLEASE!"

Deanna's POV

I was just as curious as Ani and Noelle to what exactly happened between Embry and Aria yesterday. I wasn't about to steal her diary, but I wouldn't mind hearing it read…

Aria shouted and begged for them to stop. _Can it really be that embarrassing? _I shrugged and sighed,

_Aria never was one for feelings. _

"PLEASE! _PLEASE!_ You don't understand! I pro-promised! He'll kill me! Please! I'll tell you later! Please! PLEASE!" She cried.

_Crying? _

…_oh no…_

_He couldn't of…? …Without telling me...?_

_Darn it, Embry! You make things so difficult! _

I had figured out why Aria was having a panic attack/ major meltdown moment. He must have told her the secret. And probably about imprinting, too. But he didn't tell her that I know the secret too, otherwise she would have said something to me already…

"STOP!" I shouted at my sisters who were about to read the diary. I ran at them, grabbing the diary from their comparatively weak hands.

"…Deanna? Don't you want to know what happened?" Noelle asked. Ani looked disappointed. Aria looked suddenly relieved but still cautious of what I was planning on doing.

"Noelle! Ani! You didn't do your chores!" Mom called from upstairs.

Aria and I both let out a breath of relief as they stomped off, glaring at us.

"Here," I handed the diary to her.

"Thanks, Deanna. You're the best." She was drying her cheeks with the back of her sleeve.

"Um…I sort of have something I need to talk to you about…" I began.

"Okay, sure!" Aria smiled.

We moved to backyard so none of our sisters would over hear us.

"I think I know what happened with you and Embry," I told her. Her face flushed red,

"I don't think you do."

"Seth imprinted on me," I announced bluntly.

She stared at me, frozen for a moment.

"B-but you're only thirteen!" She said, astounded.

I shrugged,

"Most of the girls at the bonfire were imprints. Even that little girl, Claire. Quil imprinted on her."

"…That's so sweet…"

_Count on Aria to not think _that_ is creepy. _

"And it can be annoying. Like in my case, I don't love Seth and I never will. I don't even _like_ Seth. I don't even want to be friends with him!"

"So when did he imprint on you?" Aria asked, excited to know more.

"Nah-uh. You have to tell me about what Embry said."

"…He just told me that he was a shape shifter and that he imprinted on me."

"...Of course, because it's Embry he didn't _dare_ explain all the details. Do you remember his exact words?"

Aria blushed and opened her diary,

"Not anymore, but I wrote them down. Here, you can read them."

I took the diary.

"How pathetic is he? Well, it just shows how much he needs you, Aria. He hasn't been himself lately, now that he knows he's been missing you all along."

"Audrine used to be his girlfriend?" Aria asked, face completely red.

"Oh, yeah…that was interesting. He didn't really like her as much as he thought. What happened was he brought her to a bonfire and um…Brady imprinted on her." I laughed nervously, "It was sort of funny, actually…"

Aria laughed,

"Wow. What a circus this whole thing is."

"Yup. So as a recap, all the guys plus Leah and Katie are werewolves. Claire, Kim, Rachel, me, Nessie, Audrine, and Emily were all imprinted on. I'm sure you can figure out who imprinted on them."

Aria laughed again,

"Yeah, it's rather obvious."

"And you might have been wondering about Josh, Collin, and Taylor?"

Aria looked surprised,

"Did they imprint on Noelle and Ani?"

I shook my head,

"Josh imprinted on Noelle. Taylor probably has a crush on Ani. And Collin well…"

"…Well, what? Tasha? Did he imprint on Tasha?"

"I wish. He imprinted on _mom_."

Aria's mouth fell open and then she broke out in hysteric laughing.


	10. Dee

7-ELEVEN

Chapter Nine: "_Dee."_

The Brentwoods: Jennifer (widowed mom,) Aria (16,) Analiese (13,) Deanna (13,) Noelle (11,) Tasha (9,) Elise (7,) and Kathleen (7)

_New werewolves mentioned but not named at end of Breaking Dawn: Chris, Josh, Taylor, Alan, Nate, Kyle, and Katie. _

Noelle's POV

_Stupid chores are so stupid! Deanna gets easier ones than me! I have to clean the BATHROOMS! Can you imagine! _

I muttered angrily under my breath as I scrubbed off the toothpaste around the sink. Dressed in my usual fashion, I had a pair of blue jeans and a pink fitted shirt on. I would have been even _better_ looking but today's only a school day so we won't be leaving the house.

_Grrr. _

Time for the stupid toilets.

"Noelley, do we have work today?" Elise asked me, still in her night gown. She yawned.

"Yup. I think mom's teaching you more on division and spelling. Go check the time for me," I told her. She went downstairs to check the clock.

"Nine four!" She called back up. _Nine a.m.? Man we woke up earlier! _To think it was only this morning I was trying to steal Aria's diary.

I finished the stupid bathrooms and joined Aria and Ani in the living room where they were arguing over whose turn it was to vacuum.

"You vacuumed last time!" Ani pointed out.

"Exactly! It's _your_ turn!" Aria said back.

"No! You vacuum and I clean the floor!"

"No! I just cleaned the floor with you!"

"Not my fault you wanted to do extra work!"

"I'm going out, guys!" Deanna called out as she headed towards the front door (which is in the living room.)

"What?" Ani asked.

"Where?" I asked.

"Deanna! Did you finish you're chores?" Aria sounded authoritative.

Deanna sighed. I bet she thought she could just slip away without us bothering her.

Pfft! Yeah, _right_.

"Where?" I demanded again, _my_ question being the most important.

"I'm hanging out with the guys."

For a split second my heart stopped and a sort of emotion rushed through me.

I was jealous.

"Why would they hang out with you!"

"Did Mom say you could go?" Aria asked, her eyebrows pulling together in a look of confusion.

"Yeah…." Deanna said, sounding dishonest.

"But- but we have SCHOOL today!" Aria protested, her head turning towards the office where Mom was making a phone call.

Deanna shrugged,

"Well, see you later-"

"De-_anna_!" I whined, annoyed with the situation.

"Why do you want to hang out with those guys all the time?" Ani asked, looking a little upset, too.

"Yeah! They could be dangerous if we're not there, too!" I agreed.

"They are on DRUGS, Deanna! Hanging around them is something only a crazy person would do!" Ani stated. She still believed they were 'using.'

"You _LOOK_ like them, too! Everyday you get closer and closer to being more like them! Look at how much _taller_ you are, Deanna!"

"I'm going through a growth, spurt, okay?" Deanna talked back, her expression growing angry.

"You do look more like them than us…" Aria noted quietly, almost to herself. Her eyes widened and she looked at Dee, "Does this happen when you are around them too much?" She asked quietly, sounding frightened.

Dee slumped her shoulders and whined,

"N-oo-o. You're all being ridiculous and overreacting. I just look _a little_ more like Dad than you guys. Jeeze."

"I'll be watching you," I warned as she headed out the front door.

Ani laughed when the door was closed again,

"You sound so creepy stalkerish, Noelle!"

Aria stared off blankly into the distance.

Ani and I exchanged looks.

"Earth to Ariiiiiia!" Ani sang, waving her hand in front of Aria's face, "We like it better when you stay on _this_ planet."

Aria shook her head and snapped out of it,

"Wait, wha?" She asked, blinking at Ani, "What were we doing, again?"

Ani smiled victoriously,

"You were about to vacuum."

"Okay," Aria nodded, still sounding dazed. I smiled at Ani as we watched Aria finish the rest of our chores.

Deanna's POV

I laughed and sang with Nessie as we danced to the beat.

"Dee isn't usually this rowdy," I overheard Alan comment to Nate.

Nate laughed,

"I bet its Seth again! He keeps her on such a tight leash sometimes she needs to let it all go!"

I scowled but continued to dance.

_I'll show you which one of us is holding the leash!_

"Sethy!" I called over the crowd. Don't ask where we were. It didn't even look like the Cullens' anymore since Alice had decorated for the party.

The occasion? Emmett and Rosalie just got married…again.

Ha. But the blonde-haired beauty pulled quite the long face when the pack was invited. She'll warm up to us…eventually.

Seth heard me and left his secluded, dark corner to approach me. He passed Collin who looked curious as to why I would want Seth. He probably expected me to ask him to get me a drink or something; even then it was unlikely I would call Seth.

"Dance with me!" I declared, faking happy. I held back a gag as Seth's eyes lit up and he joined in.

I stole a glance around the room. My eyes met many shocked, staring expressions. Most of the werewolves' mouths were hanging wide open. I smirked and turned back to Seth.

"Do you love me?" I asked him, still dancing.

"Of course," he breathed, his tone waaaayy more serious than mine.

I nodded and danced for a few more seconds. _Wow, we actually dance well together…_

Then I looked at his face again and remembered it was _Seth_. I let the words in my heart form in my mouth,

"I hate you," I stated point-blank. Once I did, I stopped dancing so I could further scrutinize his expression. He looked like he had a heart attack. His hand flew up to his chest just below his neck as if he was choking or some great pain had come to his heart. His eyes widened the slightest bit, but still enough for anyone to notice. He was frozen, no longer dancing. His lips were parted a little.

I put one hand on my hip and raised my eyebrows at him. I looked sassy. _This look I learned from Noelle._

"I-I…" He stuttered, staring at me with that pathetic, familiar pain-filled look in his eyes that he always has when he looks at me. It was full of longing and self hate.

"You're annoying, stupid, boring, obsessive, and _gross_. And I'm totally _not_ attracted to you. It doesn't matter what you say or do, you'll _never _win me over. Give up, _Seth_ _Clearwater_. _**.**_"

Someone had stopped the music just then and everyone in the room was staring at us. Some of the werewolves (namely Jake and Leah) looked ready to rip my guts out and throw me into a burning lake of lava until I felt as much pain as Seth must be feeling.

And I totally understood and was aware that this hurt him, a lot. That doesn't mean I'll lie about my feelings for the sake of his feelings!

"You're a loser and I hate you," I hissed out, finishing my speech.

_I HOLD THE LEASH!_ I wanted to scream at Nate. I let my gaze scan the room again, this time realizing everyone thought I was an idiot.

The Cullens seemed confused on why what was going was such a big deal. Even Edward- who should understand because he can read minds- looked uncertain.

Nate looked totally shocked, eyes popping out of his head. He also gave me a look like I he didn't understand why I wasn't crying with hurt. Kyle was biting his lip, as if he was waiting for Seth to yell at me or something. Leah and Jake looked wicked angry at me and as stated earlier, they looked to desire nothing more than for me to burn in hell. Paul sneered some sort of swear under his breath at me when I looked at him.

I almost sneered back.

Jared looked like he was empathizing with Seth and sighed at me like I didn't understand what I had just done.

_But I DO understand!_

Sam wasn't here but I would have expected a cold, heartless look from him as always.

_Ah, then again, maybe he would be on my side. Emily didn't like him at first._

At first. The difference being I will like Seth _never_.

Collin had his hand half-covering his mouth in shock. Brady's face was very stern and his expression clearly said: '_you're not welcome here'._

_But know one cares what Brady thinks. He's evil towards any girl. He never thought positively of me anyways. _

Embry rolled his eyes at me. Quil just crossed his arms and looked from his feet to me and Seth and back again. He seemed to want to stay out of it but for the brief moment our eyes met I could see he thought it was my fault. Chris was glaring at me. Alan was calculating our every move, but giving me a dark look all the same. Taylor was scratching his head, looking awkward and when I turned to his gaze he stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away, not wanting to meet my eyes because he too thought I was wrong. I looked at Josh who had his arms crossed along his chest and he didn't have a problem meeting my gaze. He shook his head in disappointment at me.

_Oh shut up you horrible wolf who's dating my littler sister!_

Even Katie was siding with Seth. Literally, she walked over to glare me my from behind Seth.

_Evil. Girl. _

_Next time I talk out I want some respect!_

…_I somehow lost their respect by standing up for myself?_

I gritted my teeth together and squinted my eyes; unconsciously holding back tears. And not because I felt bad or guilty, but because everyone just wanted to hurt me! Hadn't I lost enough when my father died? How about when I got sucked into this world of secrets? I can't be open with anyone! Don't they think I know what pain is? There is no lesson to teach me! I KNOW PERFECTLY WELL HOW I SHOULD TREAT SETH!

And that is However the heck I want.

I closed my eyes, turning back to Seth. I opened my mouth to take in a quiet breath and leave this fancy crypt the vampires own.

"Deanna," Seth whispered, looking helpless. I opened my eyes. He had somehow noticed that I was feeling hurt. _Why didn't he call me Dee?_

I scowled at him and walked swiftly out the front door of the house. I would have run and slammed the door but knowing my luck they'd all just laugh at me.

_Stupid terrible evil werewolves!_

Nessie followed after me.

"Please! Dee!" She called after me, grabbing my hand in her strong grip so I would have to face her. She met my eyes and it looked like _she_ was going to cry. She didn't say anything, just hugged me as tight as she could.

_(Note to self: Even half-vampires hug too tightly.)_

She let go of me and shook her head, as if it was all too much for her to bear or even try to talk to me. Her red-brown hair fell around her face and I envied her beauty, even when she looked sad and pathetic. She left me, running back towards her home.

_Vampires. Pathetic! _

Aria's POV

Top five reasons to avoid Embry: 1. I almost spilled his secret. 2. I don't know if I can like him that much back 3. I need more time to re-think things. 4. I'm scared. 5. ….Okay maybe this should be the top _four_ reasons…

My real, most honest reason is that …

I'm scared. So I'm avoiding Embry.

I've decided. The End. No more love story. I will absolutely _never_ see or speak to Embry again! It saves me from ever facing whatever I'm scared of.

"Aria! It's for you!" Kathleen called, running over to me with the phone. The curly-haired girl handed it to me then whispered in my ear really loudly,

"It's Embry."

My heart skipped in panic.

"Okay, thanks." I waited for her to leave again but she just sat and watched me with her little brown eyes. I took a deep breath and almost sighed, placed the phone to my ear.

"Embry?" My voice sounded a little shaky.

"Aria," Embry's tone was full of relief.

_What did he think Kathleen was going to get confused and give the phone to my mom or something? Honestly this kid makes no sense!_

I grabbed the edge of my chair, trying to make myself stay focused and not read too much into anything.

"Hi," I gulped to keep my voice from being anymore shaky.

"Can I come over? Now?" He asked, sounding a little worried half way through his question.

"Right now? I'm kind of doing homework." I was being an idiot and making up lame excuses.

"Oh. Is Dee there?" He sounded disappointed than concerned.

"No. She left to hang out with you guys."

"…she left." His words seem to be guarded.

"Left? Left you guys? What happened? Something bad?" My voice rose into a mild panic.

"She got into a fight with Seth…" He trailed off, sounding uneasy.

"Oh no," _That little stupid girl! She defys even the laws of nature? 'meant to be' means 'be mean to' for her?_

There was a pause from Embry. Then,

"Do you know?" His words were formed carefully but he still remained in his not-too-serious but not-really-casual tone.

"Seth imprinted on her," I whispered into the phone. Kathleen moved closer to try to hear me.

I heard Embry take a sharp breath of surprise,

"She's told you, then."

"Yes." I confirmed, kicking the foot of my desk in anxiety.

"So we cannot chill at your place?" He concluded, returning to the original point in the phone call.

"Anywhere else we can meet?" I questioned, considering how far I could get without Mom noticing.

"I'll send Audrine over," he decided.

"What?" _You're ex-girlfriend, huh? Hmpf. _

"Trust me please, kay?" He said, knowing I felt suspicious. His tone was sincere.

"Okay," I said timidly, "When will she be here?"

"Half an hour. Thanks, Aria."

"For what?"

"For being…Aria…_-y_." He explained awkwardly. _Aria-y?_

I laughed and I could tell he was smiling at his own half-compliment thing.

"Embry!" I heard a voice call in the background. It was a shrill sound of an older woman shouting.

I could practically hear him wince,

"I have to go. Bye, Aria." But he didn't hang up. I thought that was sort of nice. But sort of awkward.

"Embry Call! Give me that phone!" The woman said sternly, closer to him now.

And the line went dead.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and shrugged at it. _I suppose I'll be hanging out with his ex. That's soooo nice. _

"Here, go ahead and put it back," I said, handing the phone back to my little sister.

"Okay," Kathleen agreed enthusiastically skipping off.

_Hmm, maybe Noelle paid her to eavesdrop. _

"I guess this homework can wait," I shrugged, pushing my books to the far corner of my desk and getting up. I was still in my pajamas, seeing as we weren't going to leave the house today.

With the plans having been changed, I decided to take my time picking out an outfit.

_Hmmm…_

My blue eyes ran along all my clothes hanging in the closet. I share the closet with Noelle. It's located in the laundry room a few steps up from the basement which is the room Noelle and I use for a bedroom.

Our house is set up so it has three floors plus an attic and a basement. The second floor we call 'downstairs' because it is the ground level floor that has everything like the front door, dining room, kitchen, office, and living room. The third floor is separated by a four-step staircase near the front door. This we call the 'upstairs' and has a bathroom, a closet, and three bedrooms. Each set of twins (Deanna and Ani/ Kathleen and Elise) have a room. Tasha stays in the same room as Kathleen and Elise. Then 'upstairs' is also our moms room and she has her own bathroom. Then the lowest floor is five steps down from the ground floor. We don't have a name from this floor but sometimes call it the 'down-downstairs.' It consists of a large playroom that has two futons we sometimes use as extra beds as well as a medium sized table, any toys or games we still have, a TV, and a computer. That same floor also has the laundry room and a small bathroom (this is the bathroom that has my secret cupboard.) Finally, if you go down seven more steps from the 'down-downstairs,' you'll reach the room Noelle and I use as our bedroom, the basement. It's really quite spacious and has everything from a computer, piano (we also have a piano in the living room), and all of the dangerous metal pipes and heaters that run the house. Most of it is carpeted. On the far left hand side near the corner there is a large love seat kind of couch that has a pull-out bed underneath it. This is what Noelle and I use as beds. We keep all of our clothes in one of the laundry room closets.

And I've never been in the attic.

There was a pink shirt that caught my eye. I haven't worn pink in a very long time and I wondered if it would look good on me…

_I think I have something that would go perfectly with this…_

I skipped back downstairs to the basement and rummaged around in the clutter of things Noelle and I keep near the couch. I found my jewelry box and yanked it open.

_Perfect!_

A magnificent blue and pink pearl necklace strung on a thin golden thread. The colors must not be natural, for I've never heard of a blue pearl. And I've never heard of a multi-colored pearl either.

But the pearl itself definitely seems real. I found the necklace once in my parents' room when I was little and never gave it back. My mother has seen me wear it before and never once said anything so I assume she didn't know it used to be hers.

A half an hour later, a frizzy-haired girl stood impatiently waiting at my door.

"Hi, I'm Audrine," she introduced herself, smiling, to little Kathleen who had no sooner opened the door then prompted for her name.

"Oh, okay," Kathleen said, as if she had just realized Audrine's name didn't actually mean anything to her.

"Kath_leen_!" Elise called to her twin sister from upstairs, "Mommy says you have to finish your math problems!"

"Someone's at the door!" Kathleen told her, sounding like she never wanted to see a math problem again in her life. And they're only on division!

"What?" Elise asked, joining Kathleen at the door.

Audrine smiled at her. The frizzy-haired eighteen-year-old looked nervous.

"Um, who are you here for?" Elise asked.

"You're older sister Aria?" Audrine explained, saying it like it was a question.

"Oh," Kathleen and Elise said at the same time. Their voices were full of realization.

"Arwia, It's for you," Elise told me, mispronouncing my name on purpose. They enjoy baby-talk.

The twins left to return to their school work. I got up from the living room couch were I had been anxiously watching and met Audrine at the door.

"Hi," Audrine said, sounding almost excited, "I have _so much_ to tell you. I can't wait, come on, let's go," she smiled widely at me and motioned to a car she apparently was holding the keys to. It looked so old and beat up, I doubted it was hers.

Then again, what do I know?

"Ok, cool." My default line. I followed her out to the car.

"Do you like it?" she asked, patting the hood of the car. She sounded more excited still.

"Is it yours?" I asked. She laughed,

"Of course not! Brady just got it. Isn't she a beauty?" She laughed again and I could tell she meant to be sarcastic about it being a beauty.

"Where did he get it? I'm looking for a car." I joked, rolling my eyes for emphasis on my sarcasm.

"I suspect a garbage dump. Or Jacob Black's soul. Either way somewhere dirty and rejected."

With that she opened the door on the driver's side and climbed into the car, laughing like a maniac. I nervously laughed out of awkwardness, trying to get the passengers door open. It finally did and I climbed in.

She tried to stop laughing,

"I'm so sorry. Trust me; it would be funny if you knew!"

I buckled in and wondered what she was so excited to tell me.

"Where are we going?" I asked as she began to drive down the road.

"Uh, my house. I'm under strict Embry orders. So tell me about yourself, Aria."

"I don't know, there's not much to tell," I shrugged.

She sent me a look that said, 'Oh really?'

"Embry's been rattling off hours worth's of stuff about you."

"Really?" I asked, blushing.

"Really. It's like talking to a teenage girl! Brady and I have been calling him Emma."

"Emma?" I repeated, laughing.

"Yup," Audrine nodded, "So I have lots of things to tell you. Lets see, where to start…" She thought for a moment. "Nessie! I'll start with explaining vampires. Nessie is a half vampire and all the other Cullens are vampires. Embry said he hadn't told you about that yet."

"…I KNEW IT!" I exclaimed, my hand balling up into a fist of victory.

"It was you?" Audrine asked, turning her gaze away from the road in surprise, "I didn't think it was you!"

"Me what?"

"That suspected the Cullens are vampires! I'm shocked!"

"It was easy to figure out. They're pale, mysterious, dead-looking. I was actually leaning towards some sort of beautiful zombie until I saw someone with red eyes leave their house."

Audrine laughed,

"I'm glad I haven't run into that sort of thing yet. I try to keep my distance from the Cullens. Except for Nessie. Jacob imprinted on her, you know."

"I figured."

Twenty or so minutes later we pulled up to a simple house on La Push.

"This is my house," Audrine announced. We climbed out of the car.

"Hi…Aria…" A shy voice said from behind me. I turned to see Embry looking bashfully down at his feet and then up at me.

I smiled, not sure what else to do.

"Embry! What did I say? You're _**groun**_**ded**! Get in this house _right Now!_" A woman was shouting from the front doorway of the house next door.

"Emma's in trouble. I told you not to ruin the plan, dumb-dumb!" Audrine smacked the back of Embry's head.

"Uh….dammit. That's my mom," Embry explained to me. I frowned, what am I supposed to do now?

But the woman (Embry's mom) seemed to be changing her mind. She had a thoughtful look on her face,

"Embry! Is that a friend?"

"Yes, Mom," Embry said half-reluctantly.

"Invite her in!"

Embry's eyebrows flew up his face in surprise that his mother was saying such a thing and he met my eyes,

"Wanna come inside?" He asked, following his mother's directions.

"Sure." I almost shrugged but realized that might have seemed rude and too casual, dismissive…indifferent.  
"Can I come too, Emmy?" Audrine asked.

"No. My mom doesn't like you." Embry told her.

"_Uh_! She's never met me!" Audrine protested.

Embry gave her a look and Audrine scowled but remained silent.

"If you will," Embry gestured in the direction of his house. We fell into step, walking together.

His mom smiled at me as I stepped into the messy house.

"What's your name?" She asked, still smiling.

"Aria." I replied, kind of shyly. Embry kept his distance from me.

"Embry you need to go finish folding that laundry. I'll stay here and have a nice conversation with Aria."

Surprisingly, Embry bowed his head and obediently said,

"Yes, Ma."

Then it was just me and Ms. Call.

"Please, come into the kitchen."

We sat at the kitchen table, sipping tea.

I love tea. _Sorry, random thought. _

"So do you go to school around here?"

"Yeah I live in Forks. Except, well, I'm homeschooled."

"Oh. That's interesting. Your dad teach you? Or your mom?"

"My mom. My dad passed away earlier in the year."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. It must be tough."

"Yeah but I have all my sisters who go through everything with me…"

"How many sisters do you have?"

"Six."

"Oh wow! Any brothers?"

"None."

"That's a lot of work for your mother! Are you the youngest?"

"Oldest. Then I have two sisters three years younger than me, a sister four years younger than me, a sister seven years younger than me, and two sisters nine years younger than me."

"Oh my. What a handful!... Embry seems to still be working so just do me a favor, would you? He's been hanging around some really strange kids and sneaking out every night for the last two years. I'm worried sick about him. Do whatever you can to get him out of that rut. You seem like a good, nice girl."

I nodded, realizing his mother didn't know the secret. I wonder if the pack had to keep it from their parents?

"Did you…I mean, I don't know how long you've known him for but have you noticed him ever on drugs or smoking or anything?"

_She's really concerned…and upset…_

I shook my head slowly, not sure if it would be a better idea to fib and say I think he might be on something just for the sake of keeping the secret.

"Are you sure? I don't mean to put you on the spot but all of his friends have gone rotten, persuaded my good little Embry into falling into the darkness along with them! He's a good boy, really, it's not him."

_Umm, what do I say?_

"I-I'm sure. Maybe he is but I've never seen him or anything…"

"Alright. Well, what can I do? I'm just his old good-natured mother. He'd never listen to me. Uah, and he was such a good, loving little boy. Always very shy and sweet. I thought I had done a good job as a mother, I never thought he would grow up to lie to me everyday and take advantage of all the good things in life I've given to him," Ms. Call's eyes filled her tears and her face became distorted in sorrow and hurt.

"Oh no, Ms. Call, really! You've been a great mother, Embry's really nice to me. I'm sure he loves you more than-" I had put my hand on my arm, trying to comfort her and using a soft voice but still feeling awkward.

I was cut short by the doorbell.

Ms. Call tried to collect herself, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Hello? Ms. Call? It's Audrine, from next-door…"

Audrine had let herself in and was hesitantly making her way to the kitchen.

"I think I need to go. Thanks for the tea, Ms. Call. Feel better; Embry's a good kid really." I promised her, getting up from my seat. She nodded, drawing in a calming breath. I turned and met Audrine just outside of the kitchen.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"Brady needs his car back. I'm sorry but I have to take you home." She explained, sounding upset and nervous that she had ruined whatever was going on.

"It's okay and I should be leaving, anyways, I think." I glanced over to the staircase, wondering if Embry had heard my conversation with his mother or if he would come and say bye to me.

I followed Audrine back to her car.

"Why can't the pack tell their parents?" I asked her as we got into the old, beat up car.

"They can. Most of them know ahead of time, though."

"Really? What about with Embry's mom?"

"She's not from this rez. He won't tell her, he thinks the secret's too important."

"That's good of him."

"It costs him a lot, though."

Ani's POV

_I can't believe Noelle thinks I like Taylor!  
I do not!  
That's crazy talk!  
Whatever. I got homework to do anyways so I'm not going to worry about some silly Taylor person. _

"Hey, Ani! Josh says there's a party his at now and he wants me to go with him." Noelle said excited, she was grabbing a sweater from my closet.

"You're seriously going?" I asked her. _Noelle's a wild child. _

"Mom's rules are stupid anyways. You in?" She asked, throwing me a sweater. I paused for a minute than threw the sweater to my bed.

"No I'm staying, I've got homework."

"I'm sneaking out." Noelle stated.

"You're so _Noelle_."

My little sister hit me,

"Take that back!"

"You _are_!" I held where she hit my arm. _That girl doesn't hold back when she gets violent!_

"Am not! You loser! I'm going to the party. Mom won't notice." Noelle slipped on a sweater

And re-did her ponytail.

Collin's POV

I listened closely as Noelle told Ani she was sneaking out. A moment later, Noelle had climbed out her window and left to meet Josh outside of the Cullens' house.

_Josh you irresponsible idiot._

I'm surprised the party was still going. We spent about three hours just trying to help Seth stop crying. But I guess it was back to full party mode now.

I've got better things to do, like chores and yard work.

…okay well I didn't say they _sound_ more _fun_. But Mrs. Brentwood makes everything enjoyable. Just the way she smiles makes me feel better. She's nice to be around.

I knocked on her bedroom door,

"Mrs. Brentwood?" I whispered, afraid to wake her if she was napping.  
"Come in, Collin."

I opened the door.

"Noelle just snuck out." I explained like the good little tattle-tail I am.

She sighed,

"I don't know what to do with that girl."

"I could go after her?" I suggested, being careful to keep the door just _a little_ open so I could stay out of her room and still talk to her.

"No, don't worry about it. She's wild but not stupid." Mrs. Brentwood decided, covering her face with her hands.

"I know where she's going." I admitted.

"Is it a party?" Mrs. Brentwood said knowingly.

I nodded,

"Most of my friends are there. She's going with a boy."

Mrs. Brentwood sighed again, sounding exhausted,

"Noelle, Noelle, Noelle…" She clicked her tongue, "I might have to go crash her party."

"I could do tha-"

"She'll be fine. Thanks for everything, Collin. You're really an amazing kid."

I looked down at my feet, blushing at her praise.

"No problem," I half-whispered, closing the door and leaving to the kitchen.

Deanna's POV

"Seth!" I hissed from the shadows of my front lawn. The breeze picked up and sent goose bumps up my arm.

I had just discovered via Collin that my younger sister, Noelle, had decided to sneak out and attend the Cullens' party!

Yeah, _not_ good! Trust me, I know the pack and after a few hours of partying they can get _way too wild!_

Not to mention who knows what sort of angry they are all at me. They could very well take it out on Noelle! _Josh is one of the smallest wolves, he would never stand a chance if they all decided to gang up on Noelle. Not that they would hurt her, just interrogate her or-_

_SPILL THE SECRET! She's NOT ready to know!_

…_It would ruin her…_

Just like it ruined me…

I sniffled, pretending it was from the cold and not the pain I was feeling.

"Seth…" I muttered again, half-whimpering. He had to be around somewhere.

"Deanna?" His tall figure stepped into the dim light that glowed weakly from above the front door. I stepped a little closer to the large bush I was hiding behind, avoiding the light.

"Why didn't you call 'Dee'?" I mumbled, crossing my arms and looking down at the floor. I dug my foot into the dirt shyly, distracting myself and trying to seem like I didn't actually care. But my voice gave away that I did, as coy as it was.

His hands turned into loose fists,

"I'm trying everything," his voice was full of the most venerable emotion I've ever experienced. He could be crying. He was admitting he was hurt and desperate. He would not lie to me.

I inhaled and looked back up to him, noting that his eyes held no tears and his cheeks were dry. He only _sounded_ like he was crying.

His voice and eyes seem to hold other words, too: _'Please, please, Deanna, we love you. Please, please, Deanna, we love you. Please, please, Deanna, we love you.'_

I was hypnotized by the intense power of his face, how purely _wrong_ he looked. Everything about him was wrong! Everything! He was no happy-go-lucky-kid that he had been a few months ago! He was not friendly! He was not social! He was not fun!

_Everything about him is __**wrong**__!_

"W-wa-what happened to you?" I whispered, lost in his eyes and in awe of his pain. He had changed so much everyday since I first met him.

His jaw clenched, his fists tightened, and a low growl of pain echoed in his chest. All of it seemed unintentionally, instinctual. He looked embarrassed to seem this vulnerable when I always demanded he be tough.

His eyes replayed that message and it rang loud and powerful in my mind: _'Please, please, Deanna, we love you. Please, please, Deanna, we love you. Please, please, Deanna, we love you. Please, please, Deanna, we love you. Please, please, Deanna, we love you. Please, please, Deanna, we love you. Please, please, Deanna, we love you…"_

"ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH!" I screeched, stomping my foot and balling up my own hands into fists. _NO MORE WEIRD VOICES PLEADING IN MY HEAD!_

Seth's eyes widened, not knowing what I was screaming at.

_AND WHY THE HECK DO I HEAR HIS EYES TALKING TO ME IN PLURAL?_

"Uh!" I screamed, throwing my fists at a small tree next to the bush. They shot right past the thin branches to the trunk, snapping the small tree in half. A moment later, it tumbled to the lawn, broken.

Seth's mouth fell open,

"Deanna, I-"

"WE NEED TO GET TO NOELLE!" I shouted, turning back to face him. My gaze seem to shock him, he tumbled backwards and then nodded, immediately jogging towards the Cullens' house.

I followed right behind him, running my full speed and beating him to the door. I knocked on the door with all my might. Seth caught up and stared at me as I did. I didn't recognize the look on his face.

Edward answered the door, already looking ticked off at us. _Stupid mind reader._

"Move away, Bloodsucker," I pushed past the cold walking corpse that he is and continued to make my way through the pack that was still at the party. Noelle was dancing with Josh right next to Nessie and Jacob.

Nessie saw me first and held out her hands with a look of terror in her eyes, trying to stop me from confronting my sister.

"NOELLE FLORETTE BRENTWOOD!"

Noelle turned around then backed up when she saw me,

"Oh!" she sounded caught off guard, "Hi, Deanna…nice party, huh?"

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"You shouldn't have come here."

She stuck her tongue out at me,

"I can do whatever I want, Deanna." She sneered, turning back to Josh. Josh looked between me and her,

"Uh…Noelle, maybe it _is_ a little late. I should bring you home now."

Noelle's jaw dropped.

Tasha's POV

Late at night, Dee-Dee finally came back home, dragging Noelle along with her. Things got a little messy once Aria found out that all of this had gone on while she was at the beach with her new friend, Audrine.

Then Noelle called Ani a chicken for not coming out and partying with her.

That's when the _real_ fight started.

Ever since the four of them have been battling with everything they've got. Ani's been hitting Aria, Noelle's been pulling Deanna's hair, Deanna's been yelling, Noelle's been screaming, Aria's been shouting and slamming doors, and I'm pretty sure it was Ani who threw the chair…

"I got five bucks on Noelle; she's viscous in a fight." I told Collin, sitting down next to him on our living room couch. We were both listening to the fight.

"I'm betting on Deanna. She's a little stronger than you might think." Collin disagreed, taking a sip of some lemonade my mother had given him.

"What do you mean?" I asked. _Deanna never seemed particularly strong to me._

"She's different, now." Collin explained, as if he had read my mind.

"Oh…" I thought about how nice Collin is to me. "Hey, Collin?"

"Yes, Tasha?"

"Why do you help us so much?"

Collin scratched his head and shifted his weight,

"Well I suppose it's because your mother's such a nice person. I enjoy helping her."

"Am _I_ fun to be around?"

"Very much so, Tasha," he patted me on the head.

"Good, because you're fun to be around too," I told him, reaching _way_ up to pat his head.


	11. I Said All Those Things! Right On!

7Eleven Chapter 10: I Said All Those Things! Right On!

Noelle's POV

"And then it was so funny because-" Ani's story was cut short when a very tall, familiar person came and joined us in the backyard. Aria, Deanna, Ani, and me were all drinking grape juice mixed with orange juice on our back porch.

"Hey, who invited you?" I asked playfully, smiling at his cuteness. Josh pretended to look shocked to see me,

"Oh! _You_ were invited here? I-I didn't know they allowed egotistical, spoiled-"

"Watch it," Aria warned as I glared at him. He smiled, his fake shock dissolving. He held his arms open as he stepped closer to me,

"Will a hug work as an apology?" He asked. _Oh sure, pretend you're not _begging_ to hug me right now!_

"Yes," I mumbled, hugging him. He hugged me close for maybe a little _too_ long.

"I was just kidding about the egotistical, spoiled part." Josh told me, stepping away.

"But it's true," Deanna smirked. I glared at her. Just then something buzzed past me…

"AHH! A BEE!" I screeched, jumping out of the way of the evil bee and accidently bumping into Josh. The bee still came towards me. I screamed again and grabbed on to Josh.

"It wants your drink!" Aria told me as the bee buzzed around right next to me.

"Make it go away! Make it go away!" I cried, still grabbing on to Josh. I threw my entire glass of juice at the bug. Josh was laughing and grabbed on to either side of my arms,

"It's okay, it's flying away now." He assured me. I sent a nasty look to him,

"You didn't help me!" I snapped. He shrugged, "You looked cute grabbing on to me…" I heard one of my sisters choke on their drink behind me. I turned red and looked away from his adorable face. _How dare he say that!_

"You disgust me, Josh," Deanna told him casually. Josh sent her a dirty look and Deanna stuck out her tongue. The sliding back door that leads into our mother's office opened and we all turned to our mom wearing her apron.

"It's time for dinner. Collin's eating with us." She announced, then she saw Josh, "Oh, hello. You must be Josh. Collin said you'd be here. Would you like to say for dinner?"

My eyes widened and I mouthed, "NO" over and over again to my mom but she ignored me.

"Sure, I'd love to, Mrs. Noelle's Mom." Josh said happily. I stomped my foot in annoyance. _This is going to be embarrassing. _

We all sat down at the dinner table. Josh sat next to Collin, on the other side of the long table from me and my sisters. Then the door bell rang and Embry walked in.

Deanna's POV

Embry walked in and he didn't even have time to say hello when my mom decided to have him stay for dinner too. The table was divided down the middle. It was _us_ and _them_. The seven of us squished on one side and the three of them on the other. Mrs. Brentwood sat at the end.

The food was put on the table and the guys started eating immediately along with me. My sisters began a little more hesitantly, constantly asking our mother what was in each dish.

Then something strange and unexpected happened, the song 'Miss Independent' by Kelly Clarkson randomly started playing from somewhere. My face turned red. That's my ringtone. My cell phone was ringing.

Everyone exchanged looks, confused and surprised. Josh looked at Noelle and started singing along quietly, dancing. I muffled a chuckle. _Oh Josh. I miss you being my friend._

The song ended after a minute. By then all of my sisters had started singing along.

I carefully checked my phone under the table, making sure no one saw me.

**-One missed call: Seth thecoolguy -**

I rolled my eyes. _I'm going to have to change that to 'Seth theweirdguy.' _

Seth had put his number in my phone himself, needless to say, and decided to use that for his name.

I sighed and wondered what he was calling about.

Mrs. Brentwood had thought that Josh was really cool for making a fool of himself with the song. To even things out again, Collin was determined to embarrass Josh.

"So Josh, you seemed to be having a really good time hanging out with Claire at Sam and Emily's house the other day," Collin noted.

Josh nodded,

"Yeah, little Claire's fun and cool."

"…I really liked all the outfits you picked out for those Barbie dolls. I think you did an awesome job coordinating the colors." Collin continued.

Josh smiled, laughing at himself,

"Yeah, I know. I have a real knack for that sort of thing."

All of my sisters laughed.

Collin looked down at his food, annoyed that he hadn't embarrassed Josh, just added to his popularity.

Embry-who hadn't been at the little gathering that the pack had at Sam and Emily's a couple days ago (I had gone with Seth, Emily announced that she was pregnant.)-looked confused and in somewhat disbelief. He stared at Josh.

"…You did _what_?" He asked Josh. We all laughed again.

Then my life ended. Seth walked in and joined us for dinner.

_AHHHH!_

Aria's POV

Seth sat down at the table with us after mom invited him. He seemed very intrigued with everything, as if he'd never been in the house before. He also kept making Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen laugh by giving them funny faces every time someone started talking.

He also kept trying to impress our mom by being extra polite and nice to her.

"Mrs. Brentwood," Josh began politely, "You really are a beautiful as Collin says."

My mom smiled,

"Aw, thank you."

I looked at Deanna and we both tried not to laugh, knowing that Collin had imprinted on her.

"Yeah, Collin is also saying things like, 'Let time pass before you react, your feelings change with time' and 'sometimes you have to give people complete freedom before they realize they like it better when you're leading them.'" Embry said.

Mom looked flattered,

"Hey, I said all those things! Right on!" She gave Collin a high-five.

When dinner was over, the little twins and Tasha decided to attack Seth.

"Hey Seth!" They called, and then they pounced on him, laughing. He played along well, looking like he was enjoying himself.

Josh tried to save him.

"Oh no! Seth, I'll save you!" Josh jumped in and tried to pull Elise off Seth. Instead they just began to attack him too.

"Josh! Josh! Can you hear me, buddy? ARE. YOU. ALIVE?_" _Seth asked Josh who was now laying on the floor, pretending to be dead. "Oh no! I think we've lost him!" Seth announced. Then he grinned mischievously and Tasha and the little twins giggled. "I have an idea! Maybe the gods will bring him back if we sacrifice one of us instead!" They all laughed. Seth picked up Tasha, she screamed. "I'm sorry but we're going to have to sacrifice you." Tasha laughed and hit him, trying to get him to put her down as the little twins attacked his legs. "Come on! Let's bring her to sacrifice hill!"

Josh sprung 'back to life'.

"It's okay, Seth!" He said, grabbing Seth's leg, "I've been granted another life."

Seth acted relieved,

"Josh! My friend! I'm so glad you're alive! Now, who did this to you! We must avenge your death!" Seth dropped Tasha who laughed and kneeled down by Josh.

Josh's eyes narrowed and he glared at Tasha and the little twins. They squealed, knowing they were in trouble now.

"It was them! Them, there! The three little girls with the blonde hair!" Josh said, pointing them out.

"Then we must kill them!" Seth announced.

And on and on it went.

Meanwhile, Ani, Collin, and mom were having a conversation in the kitchen about how good the shed Collin finished building looks.

"Hey, Aria," Embry greeted me, stepping closer. I smiled,

"Hi."

"I better get going now. Thanks for having me over for dinner." He looked deep into my eyes and his voice lowered, "It was really nice to see you."

"I'm glad you had a good time." I said nervously.

He chuckled,

"I can see you're in control of all you're little sisters. I bet you're really scary sometimes."

"Yeah…" _I guess…what's that supposed to mean, anyways?_!

"Bye." Embry said. Then he left.

I turned my attention back to the wrestling. Noelle had helped them but jumping Josh's back. Josh took her by surprise by moving super fast and swinging her off his back and into his arms. They ended up with their faces really close together and for a moment I thought they were going to kiss until Josh blushed and Seth bumped into them.

Then Josh and Seth decided they had to go, too.

"Bye, guys!" Josh said to everyone, then he reached out to Noelle who had her back turned to him. He tugged on her hair slightly. She turned around to glare at him and he smiled, "Bye, Noelley." She smiled back despite herself.

Seth tried to say bye but Tasha attacked him. He tickled her until she was laughing too hard to stop him from leaving. He patted Deanna on the head a few times before running out the door.

Lastly was Collin who politely complimented our mom and said goodbye to everyone very sweetly, even kissing Tasha on the head.

_Another day hanging around all of those clowns. It's like they never go away._

_**p.s. Just to let you know, the random titles come from the fact that for this story I collected a bunch of random phrases and then created each chapter around them. Lol, just explaining why the titles seem to strange**_


	12. Stacy: Part I

7Eleven

Chapter 11: Stacy

_Ani's Pov_

"Jealousy, turning saints into the sea, swimming through sick lullabies, choking on your alibis, but it's just the price I pay, destiny is calling me, open up my ea-ger eyes-,"

I flipped through my magazine, listening to Aria sing along to some song she liked that was playing on the radio. We were waiting for Noelle and Deanna to give us the signal.

We had gone out of our way and woke up extra early this morning to make pancakes with eggs and serve our mother breakfast in bed.

Now, I know you must be a little confused. We're not _that_ good of kids! I know, I know. That must be what you're thinking.

Truth is, we probably wouldn't do this any other day of the year except maybe mother's day or if we wanted something and we were trying to suck up. Like, we wanted tickets to some awesome concert, or something.

See- in all absolute honesty- we're doing this because it's our mother's birthday. It's a very big day in our house.

We decided to give our mom breakfast in bed.

Noelle peeked into the room and gave us a 'thumbs up'. I tossed my magazine to the side and Aria turned off the radio. We met Deanna in the hall outside of our mother's room and tip-toed into the room where Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen were already talking to our mom.

Deanna counted on her fingers to three and we all sung "Happy Birthday…!" like a perfectly timed chorus. (That's what happens when your mother is obsessed with giving singing lessons.)

Aria, Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen lined up to give our mom a hug while Noelle, Deanna, and I ran downstairs to grab the breakfast we had prepared.

"Aw, thank you, guys!" Our mom smiled, "You're such good kids."

We all beamed, pleased that we had completed our birthday gift obligation.

"C'mon, let's get out of our pajamas and into some real clothes so we can start with the games!" Aria told the little twins, trying to get them to listen. We all then began to change into our normal day clothing.

I heard the door open downstairs.

And then Collin was upstairs knocking on the bedroom door of my and Deanna's room.

I could tell it was him because very few other people _jump_ up all five steps to the second floor. Or at least, very few people _succeed._

"We're changing in here!" Deanna explained in a mean tone.

"Yeah! Go away!" I echoed.

I heard an annoyed groan,

"I just wanted to know what kind of mood your mother's in. I heard it's her birthday and I wanted to talk to her before I started working on your garden."

"…What garden?" I asked, suspicious, "I don't think we have a garden, Mr. Collin…"

"Is that you, Ani? Yeah, it must be since you sound suspicious and not vicious…The garden I'm planting for your mother. She asked me to do it since I finished the shed and just about every other task I was supposed to-"

"Suspicious not vicious?" I asked, looking at Deanna confused and cutting Collin off.

Deanna looked just as curious,

"The vicious one must be me. Do you have like a rhyme to remember who is who around here, Collin-boy?" My twin sister asked him.

I heard Collin sigh, annoyed.

"Confident and quiet, Aria's game. But sometime's she's sarcastic and snotty, that's when I think she's lame. Suspicious and vicious, Dee and Ani, the first set of twins. Be careful of Noelle, the one with the fins. She'll rip your head off with a single glare. She's the one with the prettiest hair. Tasha the smart one, you're friend and pal. The one who's always glad to help you out." Collin said _'out'_ with an intended twang to his voice to make it rhyme with 'pal', "Elise and Kathleen, the little ones who chatter and then there's Jenny who's the only one that matters."

Deanna and I stood staring at the door, speechless.

"Can I come in now?" Collin asked again, sounding super annoyed at this point.

"No. How does Noelle have fins?" I asked.

"There was this one time Josh tried to save her from drowning in your pool except she was fine…I thought it was funny so it helps me remember."

"You'd seriously forget all of us so easily you need a rhyme?" Deanna asked, sounding insulted.

"I don't know! I was bored one day when I was finishing your front pathway and it just came to me! Give me a break and just let me in already." Collin sounded defensive and then tired.

Deanna chuckled,

"You're dearest Jenny Brentwood is in a good mood. We already gave her her birthday gift."

"Really? What did you give her?"

"Dearest?" I asked Deanna, the tone of my voice revealing how strange it is everyone keeps hinting that Collin likes, _likes_ our mother.

"We made her breakfast in bed. She's happy. Go find Noelle if you still need to be annoying and leave us alone already." Deanna ordered, grabbing her sweater and opening the door to push past Collin into the hallway.

"Good job! I'm glad you did something nice for your mom on her birthday." Collin praised us. I blinked, confused. Deanna rolled her eyes at him and I grabbed a sweater of my own and followed after her to the living room where our sisters were planning on what we should do today.

Collin's POV

_That's perfect. It's good that the kids thought of something nice for Jenny-er, Mrs. Brentwood. _

I leaped downstairs and past the hyper Brentwood girls conversing in the living room. I made my way into the kitchen where Mrs. Brentwood was humming and eating some chip-ish-looking-things.

"Happy birthday, Jenny!" I smiled my widest grin and used my friendliest tone. I spread my arms wide apart as I said it. _Just a normal, nice teenage boy wishing his employer a happy birthday._

_Nothing weird, I swear._

She smiled and hugged me.

_Whoops. I wasn't thinking when I spread my arms apart to hug her…_ I burned red with embarrassment as I hugged her.

It was all friendly, though. Good-natured. I have to remember that she doesn't think about me _like that_. And I should stop worrying because I don't think of her _like that_ either.

_Chiiiillll, Collin!_

Josh's POV

Seth and I had both just finished an early morning patrol. Knowing he was free for the rest of the day, I had dragged Seth along with me to the Brentwood house so we could see our imprints.

"You could bring Embry…" Seth suggested, trying to get out of coming with me.

"Embry's a loser plus you should be happy you get to see Dee." I told him, nudging him in the side.

He groaned,

"But _she_ doesn't want to see me!" He cried, sounding hopeless.

I sighed as we made it out of the woods and into the backyard.

I smelled something and before I could think, I turned around to see a puppy dog glaring at me across the yard.

"OH MY GOSH! _When_ did they get a freak'n _dog_?" I gaped, in shock.

Seth seemed just as surprised,

"Dee never mentioned that…even though she really doesn't bother to tell me anything…"

"A DOG?" I repeated.

"Hey, you used to be better friends with Dee than I ever have been. She never said anything about a dog to you?" Seth asked. I thought for a minute,

"I bet her mom just got it. I remember her mentioning once her mom always wanted a dog." I chuckled, "I remember she said maybe she could give her me."

Seth rolled his eyes,

"I can't believe she likes you more than me."

"_Liked._ She cannot stand me, now that I've imprinted on Noelle." I clarified.

Trying to get over our shock about the new pet, Seth and I knocked on the back door that leads into the Brentwood's kitchen.

Thanks to our super-good hearing, we listened as footsteps I recognized to be Noelle's came running into the kitchen, and flung the door open before the other two people in the room could react.

Seth and I stood staring at Collin and Mrs. Brentwood as they broke apart from a hug.

_Awkwarddd._

Noelle had an evil look on her face. She knew perfectly well that she had just embarrassed Collin beyond-…just, _beyond_.

I winked at her. _That's my Noelle. _

Seth kept on staring at Collin, looking like he was thinking about something while raising his eyebrows in question of Collin's sanity.

I wanted to hug Noelle but knew that would look weird after what we just walked in on...Instead a jumped right in to asking her about the dog.

"Hi, Noelle! Hey, so, you never told me you had any pets."

Seth's POV

Collin's face- which was still red from embarrassment- slowly began to become panicked.

I looked between him and Josh.

Noelle looked confused,

"What pets? We don't have any pets?"

"Oh really? How about _that thing_ tied up in your backyard?" Josh asked in disbelief.

Noelle looked to be in even deeper confusion.

"What are you talking about?" She asks, stepping to look outside.

Collin looked nervous as hell and in a total panic. He glanced over at Mrs. Brentwood who was listening to Josh and Noelle's conversation.

A light bulb went on over my head and suddenly everything clicked.

"Right over there, see?" Josh pointed out to the backyard.

Noelle's eyes widened as she saw the puppy.

"Oh my gosh, what's-!"

I jumped over next to Noelle and covered her mouth, cutting her off. Collin jumped in front of her at the same instant, trying to get her to stay quiet.

Noelle looked angrily at me and Josh pulled at my hands to let go of Noelle.

_Ha, stupid young werewolf! I'm stronger. Na na na na na na!_

"Oh." Josh realized what was going on and thankfully Mrs. Brentwood had seemed to decide we were all insane teenagers and left us alone, heading off into her office.

I let my hand drop away from Noelle's mouth.

She spit into her sink,

"Ew! Don't touch me!" She warned, sounding disgusted. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my bare chest.

Yeah, Josh wasn't wearing a shirt either.

Collin's POV

_Yeah, that was embarrassing. _

It's been a couple hours since Josh and Seth arrived and they've been trying to "be one of the girls" and join in on all the games they're playing. At first they seemed displeased with it, but now there actually having a lot of fun.

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms.

_Seriously?_

At the moment, Josh, Noelle, and Ani just got the "great" idea to prank call Taylor. If you ask me, Ani just wants to talk to Taylor. I think I agree with the other pack members: she _does_ have a crush on him.

"No, really, I prank call my mom all the time. I'm really good at it." Noelle boasted to Josh. Josh pretended to look sad,

"But I wanted to do it!" He pouted. She hit his arm.

_Noelle's _so_ violent…_

Sometimes I fear her. Her glares are so…chilling.

"Ok, so you have his number, right, Josh?" Ani asked him. Josh nodded. Noelle handed him the phone and he dialed the number.

"Taylor has a cell phone so he'll be the one who answers." Josh told Noelle. She smiled evilly. And Ani smiled, too, excited.

_Stupid girls. Josh is a bad influence._

Noelle's POV

I put the phone on speaker, thankful that my other sisters and Seth had gone downstairs so Taylor wouldn't hear them in the background or anything.

Ani covered her mouth so she wouldn't laugh as a husky voice answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi this is American Eagle calling about your credit card account."

Josh muffled his chuckle. Taylor sounded confused,

"What?" There was a pause, "…A clothing store is calling about my nonexistent credit card?"

Deanna's POV

Seth and I were walking alone outside, heading towards the cute little puppy Collin was going to give us for my mom's birthday.

"Collin did a good job figuring out what you're mom would want for her birthday," Seth commented, staring at the dog.

I shrugged.

Seth ran his hand through his hair in awkwardness,

"You look nice today," he mumbled, looking away from me at the sky.

_Who are you talking to? The sky? You're telling the sky it looks nice today?_

I wanted to be sarcastic and smart but at least he wasn't being _too_ mushy.

_Maybe it's just hard for him _not_ to comment on my looks._

I personally was just happy I was taller now. I used to be the same height as Noelle. Really short for my age. Now, though, I'm almost _taller_ than Aria! Whoo!

"I've gotten taller," I replied after awhile, letting my voice reveal how happy I was about my height accomplishment. "See?" I demonstrated by measuring myself compared to him. Now I was up to his shoulders!

He laughed,

"You better not out grow me!"

I giggled.

"That'll never happen." I assured him.

He beamed at me. It seemed as if his whole word had brightened by my small giggle.

I shook my head and looked away, at the puppy who was wagging its tail, looking at us.

Seth met the dog's eyes and the cute little fluffy canine growled.

"Hey! Who are _you_ to growl at _me?_ I'm bigger _and_ scarier!" Seth threatened the dog.

"I dare you to pet it," I said to Seth.

He looked at me in horror,

"What! Its probably got, like, RABIES or something from being around Collin!"

I put my hands on my hips and raised my eyebrows at him,

"You're scared of a little puppy? Geez, Seth! You really are pathetic."

Seth bit his lip, looking suddenly hurt. Then he hesitantly reached his hand out and petted the dog once. The puppy licked his hand, friendlily.

Seth seemed lost, deep into some pool of thoughts-memories, it seemed.

I looked around at the surrounding trees, noting that it was the fault of all the forests that so much mysterious could be found in the little rainy town.

Seth wasn't going to be starting conversation any time in the state he was in, so I went ahead and took a deep breath to find a topic to discuss.

Anything to ease the awkwardness between us at the moment. Anything to end the weird stare he was giving off into space. Anything to prevent the inevitable deep feelings he was diagnosing at the very instant. Anything to get him and me to think about _anything_ but **us.**

"Collin…Collin's, um, hair has been looking differently lately. Have you noticed?"

_Yes, I acknowledge the fact that I sound like a dork observing hair styles, especially when I have WAY bigger fish to fry. _

Seth nodded, not moving his eyes anywhere near my own…or even me in general. He liked to pretend the dog was interesting to him just to keep his eyes away from me…

…from me and whatever painful feelings came with me.

"He has been subtly changing things about himself," Seth concurred.

"That's what I thought. I was hoping one of you wolf-boys would confirm that he's been doing it consciously?"

"Yes, it's very much consciously. He basically stands in front of his mirror in the morning and thinks: _'ok, now what could I do to give off_ _this_ _message…?'_ I'm not on patrol with him that often but Brady loves to tell me all about Collin's weird emotions. He's all confused over your mother. He just wants to be the biggest suck-up in the history of _ever_."

"And what message is his new spiky hair supposed to say?"

"To your mom, it's suppose to be 'hey look, I'm interesting but collected.' You know, because it's gelled but still wild-boy-looking." Seth finally glanced at me, only to pause, seeming normal for a moment, and then a sort of black shadow entering his eyes and he turned away again.

"That just about sums up all of Collin," I stated, taking in a deep breath and spying the empty swing set across the yard.

I sensed Seth looking at me again and looked back to him.

Seth opened his mouth- to speak about something Collin-related, I think- but stopped as I brushed some of my straight-then-curly dirty, golden-blonde hair away from my eyes.

Something about my brown eyes must have hit him because his breath unexpectantly caught and I had to look away to avoid the awkward silence in which he tried to collect himself again.

(I'm only _assuming_ that he **actually** **tried. **It could very well be he was happy for a moment, swimming in his pool of adoration for me, admiring my beauty.)

_Sickening, I never gave him permission to think of me like this!_

The pause lasted a little too long and I fiddled about uncomfortably,

"Seth…" I said annoyed, looking everywhere but him.

I saw him shake his head out of the corner of my eye and he stood back up from where he had been kneeling next to the puppy.

"Dee…" He began, sounding far too thought-absorbed for my liking.

I wanted nothing more then for him _not_ to finish.

"No, Seth!" I shrieked as a reflex reaction, covering my ears. _Don't say it! Don't say it!_

_I swear to all things good if he says a __**word **__about __us__…I'll, I'll,-I'll runaway and move to New Zealand! _

_My heart started slowing, like I was going to die or something. _

_My head started racing. I felt an intellectual headache coming on. _

_My lungs started aching and I wanted him to leave me alone. _

_I'm only a kid, I want a normal life, I want to have a life. Please, Please, Seth don't make me talk about the relationship gooey stuff again! I don't want to! I can't do it! I'm-I'm too-I'm too _

Instead of talking, Seth stood there the whole time, looking at me with no particular expression on his face except for the strange conflict and emptiness in his eyes. He was like that, just looking at me for awhile. I know it was awhile because I was able to have a full blown mental freak out meanwhile his staring.

I closed my eyes, afraid of even his gaze.

_I'm too little! Please, make it all stop!_

I was too frightened to voice my pleas, I just prayed in my head, _begging_ in my heart.

Seth could have walked away, Seth could have spoken-although I admit this is only half true because I'm his imprint and I _did _ask him to stay quiet- Seth could have cried, Seth could have decided I was just denying my feelings for him.

A sort of overwhelming surprise overtook me when I realized Seth was holding me, pulling us together in his arms.

And it felt like friends.

It felt like good-heartedness.

It felt like someone cared, like someone understood.

And for a moment, believed that was all true. Or I wished I could believe it, anyways.

But it's Seth.

And I'm Deanna Nicole Brentwood.

And he didn't know what he was doing, hugging me.

And I didn't really care about him. I didn't want to.

And, almost as quickly as the moment I had believed he was only an easy-to-be-with friend lasted, I realized I didn't want him holding me any longer.

"You're such a jerk," I muttered, my face only a centimeter away from his bare shoulder.

He caught himself from letting out some sort of cry of pain. I could tell because he jolted a little and when he pulled away a little to look at me, his eyes were ready to spill salty water.

I mildly wondered how often I caused him to waste tears.

"I'm sorry," he whispered so inaudibly I was surprised I could hear it.

Because he still had his hands around my waist, I placed my hand on his shoulder to push him away.

When my hand contacted his skin, I was in awe on how exactly similar our complexions were.

The colors almost camouflaged together.

_That's new. _

My sisters and I- only being half Native- always were lighter than the wolf pack.

I still pushed him away, though.

Not wanting him to start crying- purely because it would be just more for me to handle- I offered him a slight smile.

Maybe he could act normal for the rest of the day.

Taylor's POV

_Prank calls? Really, Josh?_

I shook my head, laughing as I knocked on the front door of the Brentwoods' house. Collin had suggested I come over to give Josh an 'important message about work.'

I guess I just wanted an excuse to see Ani…

_Not that I'm interested in her or anything…I mean…_

The door swung open on its own. I guess it wasn't closed all the way.

I stepped into the living room where Josh, Noelle, Aria, and Ani were fighting over some sort of game.

Alls I could understand was that Ani was trying to take away Aria's rule because Aria cheated or something.

Josh's face practically exploded with a 'knowing' smile when he saw me.

"Taylor!" He greeted, waving me over to where he was standing with the three sisters.

_Typical Josh. Surrounded by girls._

Aria shied away a little as I got closer, but I was more concerned with Ani who smiled cautiously and Noelle who gave me an, 'oh, you're disgusting' look.

"What are _you_ doing here? More guys?" Tasha exclaimed, joining everyone in the living room.

She put her hands on her hips, eyeing me and expecting an explanation.

"I, um, came to tell Josh a message from our boss?"

I don't think Tasha bought it but Josh seemed to think I was serious.

"Oh no, what does he want?" Josh's happiness seemed to dissolve away.

I just looked at him and shook my head.

"It's confidential," I made-up. Josh nodded,

"Okay. You can tell me later, then. Stay for awhile!"

_That's what I was planning on doing, dummy. _

Tasha's POV

There was a sort of excitement about the house that I could not understand. What was there to be excited about?

I considered the guys, but they had been coming around everyday now so it seemed like they wouldn't be regarded as exciting.

That left the excitement having to do with mom's birthday.

And I was correct. Only moments after my pondering, a felt a large, warm hand pat my head and looked up to see Collin holding a puppy.

My face lit up in excitement.

Collin pressed a finger to his lips, warning me to give the surprise away.

I wonder if any of my sisters knew about this before me?

_Ugh! Why didn't they tell me?_

At this point, all of my sisters (minus Dee-Dee) plus Josh, Taylor, and my mom, were standing in the dining room around the table, about to slice the ice cream cake Aria and Noelle had bought for the occasion.

Collin and I were standing just outside of the dining room, in the living room. Collin was holding the puppy behind the wall so no one but me could see the cute little Newfoundland pup just yet.

Her little black eyes were focused on me and I was tempted to reach out and pet her shiny black coat of fur.

_Oh my goodness she's so adorable!_

_Why would Collin be so…so…gracious and confident to give us a puppy? _

_Where did he get it from, anyways?_

"Anyone know where Deanna went?" Noelle asked, looking out of the dining room window.

"And Seth?" Ani added, reminding everyone the two had been missing for quite some time now.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and eat the cake later," Mom decided, partly sighing.

Elise and Kathleen- who had been hyper and eager moments ago- suddenly looked depressed and began to whine.

"Well I can't do anything about Deanna not being here," Mom told them. I would have acted upset myself, but I was too busy trying my very hardest not to give Collin's surprise away.

"Um, I think I have something that can take your minds off it…" Collin said to the twins, grabbing everyone's attention. He moved away from the wall, revealing the little black puppy.

The room exploded with _'AwWWwws'. _

Taylor looked confused, and Josh didn't even look at the puppy, he was watching Noelle.

Collin stepped into the dining room so my sisters could all pet the puppy.

My mother had covered her mouth in surprise and petted the puppy Collin was still holding, commenting on how cute she was.

Collin smiled,

"She's yours," he told our mom.

My mom looked even more surprised,

"You brought her here for us?" She asked.

Collin nodded cheerfully.

"Look, she's really friendly." He placed the puppy down on the floor and everyone giggled as she went from person to person, sniffing them and licking their hands.

Josh refused to pet the dog, though.

I turned my head when I heard the door open, Seth and Deanna joining us in the dining room.

"Where have you been?" Mom asked Deanna, "You missed Collin bringing us a puppy!" She explained. Deanna nodded and tried to act surprised,

"Wow! That's so cool! Thank you, Collin!"

I bent down to play with the puppy along with my sisters.

"Mom! Mom! Can we name it?" Noelle begged, almost monopolizing the fluffy dog.

"Uh, sure. What were you thinking?" Mom asked.

"Sarafina!" I suggested. Elise and Kathleen immediately agreed with me.

"How about something that's not a Disney princess…" Ani suggested, laughing.

_Hey! Sarafina's not a Disney princess! ...I think._

"Name it Seth," Seth suggested, only kidding around.

"If we were going to name her after someone, it'd be Collin… but we can't since she's a girl." Mom said.

A heard a chuckle from behind me (where Taylor and Dee-Dee were whispering back and forth.)

Then Deanna piped up,

"How about Stacy!" She exclaimed, holding back laughter. I suppose it was an inside joke because Taylor started snickering and Collin glared at them.

Deanna shrugged back at Collin passively.

"I like that name," Noelle agreed.

"Me too," I said.

"So do I," Ani nodded.

"Stacy, you're so cute!" Elise told the puppy.

And so the dog's name was Stacy.

"Hey, Collin…" Dee-Dee began, "So I guess that makes Jenny…_Stacy's mom_."

Collin's response was a look so terrifying that I think I'll always be scared of him from now on…


	13. Stacy: Part II

Chapter 12: Stacy

Part two

Aria's POV

A little while after Collin had given us the puppy (Stacy), my mom, Elise, and Kathleen went to go on a walk with her.

Trust me, it was difficult to convince Noelle and Ani to stay here with the rest of us. But Taylor and Josh seem to be good at persuading them to do things.

_As long as they don't try to get them to jump off any cliffs, we're good._

"Hey, Ari!" Seth called from across the room.

_Ew. I hate that nickname._

He was talking to someone on a cell phone. I raised my eyebrows,

_What do you want?_

"It's Embry on the phone," Seth explained.

My heart stopped and my face started to burn.

"Uh, yeah?" I asked, not sure what I'm supposed to say to that.

"He wants to know if you'd like to go on a date with him?"

…_Awkward…_

"Uh, tonight? Like…wait- where?"

Josh heard what was going on and jumped in,

"Yeah, tonight. Embry's not busy so he figured he take you to a restaurant." Josh's voice changed to a romantic tone, "Because he loves you so much that he has his best guy friends who he knows are so much more _awesome_ to ask you out. It's totally gentlemanly of him." Then his tone changed and he leaned into to whisper in my ear, "Or it's also just kind of whimpy."

I laughed. "So, Aria Brentwood, would you go on a da-"

Josh was stopped by Collin who bopped him on the head.

"Get a grip, man. Aria doesn't need you as a middle man with her and Embry."

Josh rubbed his head, looking annoyed.

"Guys, Embry's still on the phone." Seth reminded us. Then he spoke into the phone, "No, no. I didn't get a chance to finish. Mr. Smart-ass here interrupted me. I'll call you back in a second."

"I am smart, aren't I?" Josh smirked, sounding all cocky. Noelle laughed at this point (I had almost forgotten the older three of my sisters were still here.)

"Not the point-" Seth began to argue with him. Taylor quickly interjected, speaking to me:

"Aria would you go on a date with Embry tonight?" Taylor let out a breath in relief, "There. Now you can all calm down," he joked, putting his hand on Josh's shoulder.

Seth looked at me, expectantly, waiting for my answer.

I smiled at Josh, still laughing.

"Yes, Josh, I'll go out with Embry tonight."

Josh smiled victoriously.

"See? She liked _me_ asking best." Then Josh turned to Noelle, "Aren't I so smart and cool?" Noelle gave him a look.

Josh grabbed the cell phone from Seth and called Embry to tell him I said yes to the date.

"Yeah, hi, Embry. She said yes. She said yes when _I_ asked her…No I do not have a serious ego problem!" Josh fake pouted and hung up the phone. "You're dating a jerk," he told me, "You should end it."

I laughed. He was funny when he was pretending to be mad.

Then the cell phone rang and Josh answered it again.

"Oh, it's _you_ again…You're sorry? Oh, it's ok. I forgive you…Yeah, and I take back telling Aria to break up with you…That's a good point, you _weren't_ ever dating…You want me to tell her _that_?" Josh eyed me, sounding like he thought Embry was saying something ridiculous. My sisters and I exchanged looks, we could all tell that Josh was just pretending that Embry was saying weird things at this point. "No I'm not going to say that, that's mean…Her hair doesn't look that bad…You've seen her in the shower?...Stalker…No I'm pretty sure she already knows that you have issues…You want me to tell her you think she's hot?...woah! Now, Embry! That's a little too scandalous to repeat! Hey, now!...I love you too, Embry. Talk to you later…No, I'll climb through _your_ window tonight, my mom's starting to get suspicious..."

My sisters, Seth, Collin, Taylor, and I were all cracking up listening to Josh.

"I wonder how mad Embry really is at Josh right now!" Ani laughed.

"Trust me, he's probably shouting at him on the other end right now, Embry wouldn't like Josh saying he says that sort of thing about Aria, especially when it's not true!" Deanna laughed.

"Tell him I'll bring the movie this time," Seth said to Josh. Josh laughed and said to Embry,

"Sethy says he'll bring the movie this time…You know, the mushy romantic movies we always watch at your place…No, I _know_ you like the Titanic but we've seen that so many-…Ok, fine! I'll have him bring the Titanic!"

We all continued laughing as Josh hung up the phone.

"Embry's going to kill me," he laughed.

Deanna and the other guys agreed.

Taylor's POV

"Oh! I know what we can do!" Noelle announced.

"Good, because I was getting bored staring at the wall." Josh said.

A similar sort of song started playing from the speakers…

"_This!_? You listen to _this_?" Josh exclaimed.

"Wait! Wait! It's not in English, it all in Romanian. It's the original version." Aria quickly defended the song.

Then the girls started laughing I realized Josh had started to sing along to the song. It was 'Dragostea Din Tei' (Original Romanian Version) by O-zone.

"You _know_ the Romanian lyrics, Josh?" I asked, astonished. Josh shrugged, still singing. I'm pretty sure he was just guessing as best as he could. He was having fun trying to act all manly and sexy as he sang it.

"C'mon, Taylor! You have dance with me!" Josh decided, starting to dance during the chorus.

I rolled my eyes but started to dance with him. The girls were having a ball, laughing their heads off from the couch.

"Guys!" Collin shouted, turning off the music. He looked at Josh and me. "You need to leave now. Jenny's getting annoyed with so much chaos."

"We're only having a little-" Ani began, but Collin cut her off,

"Where's Seth?" He asked.

Josh and I exchanged a look. Deanna was on the couch with her other sisters so he wasn't with her.

"Right here!" Seth called, coming back into the living room from downstairs.

"Great, now that you're here, get out." Collin demanded.

"Uh, do we have to?" Josh asked, confused.

"Yes. Jenny wants to relax, it _is_ her birthday…even though she deserves the world any day."

"But-" I began.

"OUT!" Collin gave us all a stern look.

"Ok, ok, fine!" Josh held up his hands in innocence

I felt disappointed. Gazing in Ani's direction, I waved goodbye to the seven Brentwood sisters.

"Bye, Taylor!" Elise sang, waving back. I smiled; the littlest ones were very sweet.

"Bye, Elise! Bye, Kathleen!" I had learned all the names well enough just from Seth, Collin, Embry, and Josh's thoughts. "Bye, Noelle! Bye, Aria! Bye, Tasha!" Then I tried to ignore the weird feeling that choked me as I looked directly at Ani. "Bye."

I could hear Seth chuckling, obviously finding my awkwardness around the Brentwood sister amusing.

"Bye," they all chimed on back.

"Yeah, bye, guys." Josh said. Then I we all laughed as he kneeled down in front of Noelle, "You're going to miss me, right?"

Noelle laughed,

"Get out of here, Josh!"

"Don't forget about your date with Embry," I reminded Aria, winking. She smiled and laughed, but didn't say anything.

"Oh yeah. I almost forgot about that. Look nice and everything but don't get too dressed up, he can't afford to wear anything fancy anyways." Josh told the oldest sister.

"Okay," she chuckled.

I headed towards the door but Josh managed to squish everyone into a hug when they weren't looking. Noelle was right in front of him. She started to push him away, but they were all laughing. Especially the younger ones, they thought Josh was some big walking collection of games.

Seth finally got tired of Josh's showing off and pulled him away from the couch,

"Let's get going."

Collin had long left to the kitchen, with my super hearing I could tell he was talking to Mrs. Brentwood.

Josh sulked and made his way towards the door by me.

"Noelle, you _need_ to help me pick out something to wear!" Aria told her little sister. The two of them ran downstairs to their room. Ani, Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen all ran to the backyard to play with their new puppy.

I opened the door and we all stepped outside.

Dee slowly made her way towards us,

"You guys were fun today. Thanks for being nice to my family…" She said, sounding tired.

I watched Seth's emotions flash through his eyes. He wanted so bad to help her, to be with her.

Dee glanced up to him.

Seth smiled.

"Don't even smile, Seth," Dee said, sounding tired of the world, "You have the nerve to be friends with Josh. _Josh_, my old friend!" I flicked my eyes towards Josh who was turning red. _Oh no._ "I wish Josh imprinted on me." She mumbled so quietly I wondered how true it was.

And she closed the door on us.

Josh shrugged, trying to shake off the awkwardness that Dee had left him with.

We had just gotten to a small evergreen tree when Seth lost it.

As he sat there, gripping onto the evergreen, eyes lost into the distance, a few tears dripped softly down his face.

Then came the flood.

A whimpering, shivering Seth was falling apart right there and then, outside of the Brentwood's house.

"Seth-!" But I didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say that could fix this.

Seth's heart was broken.

Seth's _soul_ was broken.

Seth was broken.

And last time I checked, I'm not a guy re-builder.

Collin's POV

"Yeah, sorry about all the noise from the guys before. They've left," I told the most beautiful being on the planet.

I don't care if everyone thinks it's weird, I just want to wait on her hand and foot.

"Oh! They have? Thank you, Collin," Jenny smiled warmly at me. I smiled back and decided it was time to kick _myself_ out.

I headed towards the front door, surprised to see Dee standing there, staring at the door like it was talking to her.

Then I heard the whimpers outside.

Anger flared in my chest, adrenaline rushed through me.

"What did you do!" I bellowed at the girl. She looked at me and shook her head, as if I didn't understand.

"Mind your own business, Collin," she sneered, running upstairs to her room.

I made my way outside to Seth and Taylor. I saw Josh lurking in the trees not too far away.

"Seth! God, what happened to you?" I asked, noting that Taylor looked very lost on what he was supposed to do.

Another figure came from the forest.

Jacob Black, our alpha, emerged from the trees and stood looming over Seth.

He had come to figure out what has been occupying a good amount of his pack for the last week or so.

The Brentwoods.

_I guess Josh must have told him Seth was…is having a meltdown._

"Seth, listen to me, it's going to turn out okay. It _has to_. Just hold on until then," I told him, trying very hard to keep him from falling into a deeper depression.

Embry's POV

_Date, date, date. On a date. _

Parking the car on the street in front of the Brentwoods, I skipped out and started up the lawn to the house.

I looked down at my semi-dressy appearance.

_I look nice, right?_

"Embry!" Josh came springing out of nowhere to stop me from walking any closer to the house. "Josh…?" I wasn't sure what he wanted.

"You look nice, I'm glad you actually gathered the courage to go on a date with this girl." Josh said, sounding impressed.

"That's great, can I please go, now?" I asked, trying to walk past him to the house. He blocked me.

"Hey, why don't you unbutton a few of these top buttons. You know, give a little more to her eyes," he smirked.

"What? No! I'm not doing that!"

Josh disappeared for a moment and I took a deep breath, preparing to walk up to the house.

"Here, take these," Josh ordered, stuffing a bunch of flowers in my hand, "You need to look more thoughtful."

I looked at the flowers, then back at Josh.

"I look corny with the flowers," I disagreed.

Josh looked offended,

"You're face looks corny." He replied.

I gave him a look and tried to ignore my now low self-esteem.

Josh noticed, though.

"Come on, be confident! I bet she's getting on a pretty dress, doing her hair, all excited to see _you_. Sell it."

"Josh, this is ridiculous. She's going to think I'm a freak." I said.

"No, no, no. No, way! She'll think you're totally awesome. Isn't that right, Collin?" Josh shouted over to a tree where I now saw that Jacob, Seth, Taylor, and Collin were talking.

It was dark out and my focus had been else where so I hadn't seen them.

"Yeah, whatever," Collin replied, obviously not caring that much about my date with Aria.

"Ok, this is what you do," Josh began, "Smile, look casual but still a little nervous, give her a kiss on the cheek at the end of the night, and hug her when you greet her at the door."

I rolled my eyes,

"Which one of us is going on a date with Aria, anyways?" I asked sarcastically.

"Stop goofing around, you're going to be late!" Josh told me, pushing me towards the door.

"I hope Seth's okay," I mumbled, walking up to the door.

I didn't even knock, it swung open to Aria.

Aria's POV

Embry stood on the other side of the door; I was glad that I was ready (since he never gave me a time.)

He looked confused and forgetful for a second, then he handed me the small bunch of flowers he was holding.

I took them and turned around to give them to Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen who were curiously watching Embry and I.

"Cool!" Tasha exclaimed, and the three of them when skipping off with the flowers. I smiled and turned around back to Embry,

"Thanks."

He held out his arm, offering it to me. I took it and he led me towards the car I could see parked on the street.

I heard some noise to my left and I could just about see a few figures in the dark. My eyes widened as I realized one of them was Seth, crying.

Embry's arm came around my back,

"It's okay," he told me, "They don't want you to notice."

I nodded, and looked back at Embry. His face was awful close to mine and he smiled at me. He was cute when he smiled.

I smiled back and we continued to the car.

Ani's POV

Noelle and I were talking about how cute the guys were today when we heard something- no _someone_-outside.

It sounded like shouting.

We exchanged looks, confused.

Quickly, we ran out the back door and around the side of our house. In the dark it was hard to see at first but we could hear someone shouting.

"ONE MORE CHANCE AND THEN-!"

"What's going on?" Noelle demanded. We were both shocked to find Seth, Collin, Taylor, and Josh in our front yard being yelled at by who we recognized to be their friend Jacob.

"What's going on!" I echoed.

The guys seemed to shuffle about for a second, deciding on something. Then Taylor came up to me.

"How about we take a walk?" He said, not smiling. He seemed very seriously and yet…_so charming_.

"I, uh…"

"C'mon, it'll be fun," He assured me, staring into my eyes.

_Woah…_

"Okay, I guess, sure. If it's only for a second…" I glanced at Noelle but Taylor grabbed my hand, forcing my attention to snap back to him.

He led me away down the street.

Noelle's POV

I stood, waiting for an answer.

_Take my sister away and now I REALLY want to know what's going on!_

As my eyes were adjusting to the dark, I examined the guys closer.

Seth was doubled over on the ground.

I saw that the faces of the guys seemed hesitant, unsure, like there was something very wrong.

_Something very wrong going on…_

Seth's eyes shut for a moment, and I could see he was in some sort of great pain.

My heart beating faster, I took a step back and re-examined the guys.

My eyes widened.

_What if Ani's right? Maybe I was right all along…_

_Maybe they really **are **dangerous!_!

Were they hurting Seth? Was this some sort of gang gathering?

But they seemed so sweet today- Josh, Taylor, Collin…

I thought I knew them, …but maybe I just thought I did.

My shocked, scared expression alarmed the guys.

Collin and Jacob stepped towards me.

I panicked, terrified of them, alone in the dark with the scary, strong guys.

"What's going on?" I asked again, this time my emotions taking over me and tears filling my eyes. I was scared.

_Josh…_

I looked over at my favorite of the dangerous guys, he looked conflicted and speechless.

"Josh! Why are you all acting so strange?" I cried, tears escaping my eyes. I was going hysterical.

Josh's POV

I could see Seth look up at Noelle from the corner of my eye. I knew he wanted her to stop, didn't want her to have a bad relationship with the pack like his own imprint does.

She called out my name. I felt my heart twist in pain as she started crying in terror.

_Please, don't be scared-_

But why shouldn't she be scared? We're monsters!

"Noelle," I stepped close to her, she didn't back away and did not seem afraid of me. But I could still see she was confused.

Not wanting her to feel so unsafe, I pulled her into a hug. She didn't try to push me away but she didn't hug me back.

I felt her wet tears on her cheek and her soft hair flowing down her back. I could feel her shivering in panic.

_Are we really that scary?_

_No, there must be something else…_

I heard something moving in the woods and realized what Noelle was watching. Noelle must have good eyesight to be able to see that Sam- in wolf form- was close by to us.

She screamed as he got closer. I let go of her and turned around, blocking her from the forest. Somehow I had to keep her from hating us, from being scared of us.

_Oh no, this is all going wrong. Stupid Josh, this whole thing is going to be ruined!_

Ani's POV

Taylor was still holding my hand. His deep, brown eyes were scanning the forest as we walked further and further from my house. I wasn't sure what it is was that made him spontaneously want to go for a walk, but he was rather good looking in the dim light of the moon…

He seemed angry a little. Or maybe just more serious than usual. He was focused on something else.

"Uh, is something bothering you?" I asked. Taylor shook his head,

"Nothing at all. Er, thanks for coming on a walk with me."

I felt my heart flutter,

"Any time. You know, it's nice to go for a walk now and then."

He nodded, agreeing. He was jumpy, uneasy, though.

Josh's POV

Realizing that he had been spotted, Sam had left to further in the woods and then came back to join us in his human form.

He gave me a stern glare. I looked at my feet, knowing both Sam and Jacob were annoyed with me for making my relationship with Noelle so complicated.

Embry had already told Aria.

They understood why Collin might need more time to tell Jenny.

But me…I had just waited too long for their liking.

I heard Noelle gasp behind me.

_Yeah, Sam **is** scary…_

I wasn't at all surprised at what Sam said next,

"Jacob, I believe it's time Josh dealt with his problems." His tone was very serious, very severe.

Jacob examined me for a moment, then nodded.

"Josh, take Noelle into the backyard and explain everything."

I gulped, scared of Jacob but also scared of Noelle's reaction. I turned to her and allowed my eyes to portray how sorry I was. She stared at me, bewildered.

I held out my hand for her to take.

She stepped back for a moment, like she didn't quite want to come with me. Then she glanced at Sam and her eyes widened in fear. She quickly took my hand.

I quickly moved away from the pack members.

Once we were out of their sight, Noelle started whispering to me.

"I don't understand, what was all that about? Can I go back inside now? Josh, please?"

I'm pretty sure she regretted ever asking what was going on.

I stopped when we got to the very middle of the backyard. I turned to face her, still not letting go of her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Noelle. I-…"

I didn't know what to do. A few ideas came to my head, one I liked more than the others.

"Are they controlling you?" She asked, keeping her voice low as if she knew they could hear us. She definitely didn't seem scared of me, in fact, she trusted me more than I even believed she would. Her eyes showed how scared of them she was, _for me_.

She was afraid they were hurting _me_.

"Noelle, I-…you're hair is really pretty, Noelle." I told her, complimenting her breathtakingly beautiful hair.

She blushed slightly but seemed confused,

"What does that have to do with anything?" She half-laughed.

I smiled, knowing exactly what I planned on doing. I was not more certain of anything other thing in the world.

Her eyes widened and she gasped as we found ourselves closer then ever…

…because _I_ was _kissing_ her.

Taylor's POV

Leading Ani back to her house, my mind raced on what could be happening with Noelle.

_Will they tell her? Will she be mad at them? Will Dee help them out?_

I took it upon myself to lure Ani away from the whole scene. _She doesn't need to be a part of that mess._

And the guys could do without one more person to explain to.

She came along fairly easily so there were no problems between us now.

_I wonder why she's being so nice to me?_ I pondered vaguely.

But I kept my focus on the guys, listening as we got closer to see if it was safe to bring Ani back yet.

Ani was fidgeting with her hair when she quickly stuttered something to me. It look me a second to figure out what she said since I was listening for the guys.

"I think you're a really cool guy. M-maybe you should h-hang out with m-me some other d-day too."

I smiled, trying to stay as friendly as possible and still keep her safe from the wolf business.

"Yeah."

We reached her front yard and I silently walked up to the guys who were all listening for something.

"Josh." Taylor explained. A look of realization crossed my face and I quickly told Ani to stay with Seth as I scurried up to Collin who was hiding behind a bush in the large backyard, watching Josh and Noelle.

I rolled my eyes as Josh randomly leaned in and planted one right on Noelle's mouth.

_Amateur._

Collin smiled victoriously at me and we both went back to the other guys and a confused Ani.

"He's going to have to tell her," Collin said quietly enough that only the guys could hear. Ani looked confused at our 'silence'.

Jacob nodded and he and Sam turned their attention to Seth who looked like he had just been beaten up…a hundred million times.

"What now?" Collin asked Seth.

Seth looked down at his feet and gulped,

"Dee." He said. He was asking for Dee.

"I'll find her," I offered, taking Ani by the hand again and leading her back inside her house.

"Uh, see you tomorrow…" she said nervously. I nodded and smiled and then tried to look for Dee. It's usually easy to find her because she has a very distinct smell, similar to Katie's except warmer. I couldn't find her anywhere.

Dee's POV

I heard Seth ask for me from where I had been watching the guys from my window. Afraid and panicking, I rushed through the house to the office and out the side door, slipping away into the woods.

_They can't catch me today._

Collin's POV

Taylor returned and said Dee wasn't in the house. We all agreed to look for her around town but Seth shook his head, asking us not to. He said she ran from us on purpose and we should leave her alone.

We said okay and all phased into our wolf forms to leave the Brentwood house for the day, hoping Josh would work things out on his own.

_He's going to have to explain his actions. He's going to want to tell her he loves her. She'll know the secret soon._

Dee's POV

Knowing that the pack could easily catch my scent and come after me, I decided to leave the woods. I would find Nessie and Audrine, who said they were going to be in town today…


	14. Stupid Genius

_7Eleven_

Chapter 13: Stupid Genius

Dedicated to: Elle, Anna, Ana, Asha, Lise, Lee 3

A MILLON THANKS TO ANA!

Taylor's POV

I could hear talking from the Brentwood house a block away, and not just because of my super- hearing. I also happened to be walking to the house. Not all of the voices were the sisters' voices, either. A good percentage of them were the deep voices of my friends, Collin and Seth. I wouldn't like to say I was eavesdropping, but more…researching. You see, last night I was on patrol with Jake. And _Embry_- who was also supposed to be patrolling with us- phased for just long enough for him to say that he couldn't come. I think I know the reason though; Aria was on his mind the whole time he said it. I just wanted to make sure that he didn't _stay the night_ at the Brentwoods'. Though, I couldn't picture Embry doing that…but I just needed to make sure. Anyways, as I was _researching_, I heard a different conversation. It sounded like Noelle and Ani. They were whispering so quietly that I don't think I would have been able to hear them from where I was standing a minute ago. Luckily, though, my long strides meant that now I was at the end of their street. The conversation, from what I heard, went something like this:

Ani: 'Oh. My. Gosh!'

Noelle: 'I **know**! He looked like he was gonna' say something really important- like I don't know, like some deep secret like he robbed a bank or something- when he just leaned down and _**kissed **_me!'

_She doesn't know how close she is with the deep secret thing._

By then I was right in front of their door. I rang the bell, even though the door was slightly open. I heard the talking stop and Ani run down the steps,

"Hello."

"Hi." I checked the couch for any signs of Embry, all I saw though were two cute, sleeping seven year olds. I smiled. Ani caught my gaze and turned to look at them too.

"They're really cute." I commented.

"Yea. Anyways, so why don't you come in." She motioned her hand for me to come inside. Once I stepped into the house, I saw her look up at me. I could read it on her face, she had forgotten how tall I was.

_Big ol' wolfboy. _

Right then, Noelle came down cautiously. I could tell by the way she walked out of the bathroom, where she had been fixing herself up, and the way her smile turned to a scowl once she saw me, that she was hoping it was Josh. The scowl appeared as she was walking down the steps, but then she stopped on the bottom step put her hands on her hips and said,  
"What are _you _doing here?" Her scowl even _deepened_! She _really _didn't want me here. Luckily, Ani came to my rescue, "I invited him."

"_WHAT?_"

"Yea? Is there something wrong with that?" Ani continued.

"You know what, I can't deal with this," she said putting her hands up, not wanting to be a part of it, "I'm gonna go get some graham crackers, and you better not try to stop me!" she finished, pointing a finger at Ani.

She walked into the kitchen. Ani now had her eyebrows raised as if saying 'oookaaay then'. She turned back to me,  
"Sorry 'bout that, she's just kinda mad that you're not _Josh_."

_So I _wasn't _the only one that noticed..._

"S'okay," I answered.

Then Tasha walked in from the kitchen with a glass of orange juice and was looking down with a confused expression,

"I was just in the kitchen getting some milk and graham crackers when Noelle walked in,… told me those were _her_ graham crackers,… shoved a glass of orange juice into my hand,… and told me to…. 'have a good life'." Ani reacted by saying,

"Um, this is getting a little weird… I'm gonna' go try to find Aria. Tasha, why don't you talk to Taylor." and she ran to go find '_Mrs. Call'_.

No one said anything for about 5 minutes, we just stood there awkwardly, with the only sounds being Noelle's cupboard slamming and drawer smashing. Then Tasha said something,

"So…..you going out with Ani?"

That caught me by surprise.  
"What? Er, no, well, not yet… at least."

I saw Tasha's face turn from bored to excited, wanting to hear more.

"Whad'ya mean 'not yet?'"

"Let's talk about something else," I quickly intercepted.

She reluctantly agreed.

"So do ya know what's goin' on with Dee?" we both asked at the same time.

We both gave nervous laughs.

"No," she said.

"Me neither," I answered.

_Though I think I have an idea…_

Seth's POV.

"The sky looks clear today."

I should know, since that's the only thing that I could look at that didn't remind me of the girl standing beside me.

"Yup. I was thinking of going swimming, to-"

"WHAT?" I had to look at her. It was _way _to cold to go swimming, well… not for **me** but for her. I actually started shaking. I had to get I grip. I was able to calm down enough to get my violent shaking down. I continued, "It's way too cold for you to go swimming!"

"No it's not, I'm actually too hot! And don't you interrupt me!"

I touched her forehead. It was the same temperature as mine!

"You're burning up!"

"Your hand's just really warm," she snapped, prying my hand off her forehead.

"Sorry." I said, the hate in her eyes that was meant for me bored into my soul, again.

Dee smelled her shirt,

"Ugh! I smell like dog!"

"…From hanging around me?" I wasn't sure if she meant to be insulting me.

"No, from my new pet dog, Stacy, genius!" Dee retorted.

"Oh, right." I laughed, "Sorry again."

Right then we heard someone phase, I could tell it was Josh. Apparently so could Dee,

"I have to go." She said and she walked out of the woods, with not even one glance back. And the weirdest part….I thought I could see _her_ shaking.

Josh's POV

_This is the woods, right? _I was trying to find the woods behind the Brentwood house, so that I

could sneak up on Noelle by going in the back door. I phased back. Then I heard Seth and Dee talking about some genius. I think Dee heard me, though, because then the conversation ended and I saw her walk out of the woods. I walked up to Seth,

"Hey, man!" I said putting my arm around his shoulders.

_Sorry about your imprint liking me better…_

He just glared at me.

"Hey, what did I do?" I put my arms up defensively.

"We were finally having a decent conversation and _you _came along and _ruined everything_!"

"I'm really sorry." I said losing my joking tone.

I walked towards the house.

Taylor's POV

"OUCH! DAMMIT!" I said as I bumped my head on the low ceiling above the staircase that leads to the play room, and to where I was going- the bathroom. Then I remembered the kids in the room,

"Oops, I mean darn it!" Luckily Tasha wasn't listening.

I opened the bathroom door, it may have been locked but I think I broke the knob.

Aria's POV

I heard the door unlock/open

_Uh-oh_

I covered my mouth in shock and panic, gasping.

I tried to be as quiet as I could. I was in my secret hiding spot in the cupboard. I heard Taylor humming to himself.

_This is sooo weird!_

Then I felt a sneeze coming on, there was dust in my cupboard and when I gasped I must have caught some of it. I tried to hold it back but I couldn't.

_Aaa-choo!_

The sink stopped running.

"Hello?" I heard his voice question.

I pushed closed the roof of the cupboard that I had used to climb up to my secret hiding spot. No one would find me here.

Taylor's POV

Did I just hear someone sneeze?

I turned the water off,

"Hello?"

No answer.

I tried to think of who it could be, and then I remembered Collin saying something about Aria disappearing in the house sometimes. I looked around for the possible hiding spaces, and I only found one, the cupboard. I opened it quickly, trying to catch her before she could react, but there was no one there. Just a cupboard. Officially creeped out, I walked out of the bathroom.

Noelle's POV 

I heard the door open and saw Josh standing there, slightly crouched, trying to sneak up on me. Oh and of course _now_ I'm not ready.

"Hi." I said before he could try to scare me any.

"Hello!" He came over and _kissed _me again, but just on the side of my head. I mean I liked it, but I was still surprised, it takes some getting used to.

Just then Ani walked in, asking where Aria was. She was about to walk out when Taylor came up from the playroom but he didn't just walk in he tripped in, knocking Ani, who was in front of him, over, too. They landed in a way that it ended up that Taylor was on top of Ani. Her look was _priceless _it could have gotten a hit on youtube. Taylor quickly scrambled off her, apologizing. Ani forgave him, though I knew she was still a little creeped out. Then Josh who had his jaw-dropped said sarcastically,

"Genius, man. Genius."

I giggled.

"Sorry, that was really stupid of me" he apologized again. And again. Ani said it was 'ok'.

"Ha Ha! That makes you a stupid genius!" Tasha laughed. I hadn't even noticed her there before. Everyone laughed.

Then I realized something,

"Wait, how long have you been standing there?" I asked, starting to get angry (and embarrassed).

"Just long enough to see you two _kii-iii-ssss_!" she sang.

Ani and Taylor exchanged wide-eyed looks.

"You're gonna' get it!" I yelled, chasing after her as she ran away cheerfully to the backyard. Josh chased _me _telling me not to worry, that it was 'okay if people knew'.

Taylor's POV 

Ani and I stood there for a moment, unsure of what to make of this chaos when Embry walked in. Then I saw that Aria had joined us.

Embry looked at Aria for one longing moment, then he turned to me,

"Has he told Noelle yet?"

"No. I think he's trying to flatter her first. Great strategy, right?" I said that last part sarcastically.

The joke was useless he already had his attention focused back to Aria. Then Ani piped up,

"Wait , what're you talking about?" She looked at us curiously, "Can _I _know? or do I have to figure it out? But just warning you, I'm not very good at guessing, so you're probably better off telling me."

Embry and I looked at each other, looked at Aria, looked back at Ani and said in a chorus,

"You're gonna' have to find out."

She turned to Aria,

"Wait _she _knows? I am _much _better at keeping secrets than she is! Like, once she told my secret about the time when I-", she caught herself, "_See_? _I_ didn't spill! Anyways, the point _iiiissss_ why should I be left out of the loop?"

_She's pretty._

"Listen, it's harder than it looks," I explained.

"Well, then get off the steroids!"

I couldn't help but laugh at this.

"We're not on steroids, Ani." I assured her.

"Well then how did you get so muscular? That's like _physically _impossible!" she pointed to my arm. Even Embry was trying not to laugh now. I tried not to laugh myself.

"I understand you're point." I said.

"I do _too_ have a poi-, wait, what? Are you agreeing with me?"

"Well not with the steroids part, but how it would seem physically impossible"

"_seem_? You guys really are messed up! I give up! I surrender! The white flag is shown! I can't win! _But you ARE on steroids._"

And with that, Ani left the room, she surrendered.

I turned to Embry,

"So do you think Josh'll _ever _tell her?"

"Probably not."

"Bet you ten bucks he'll still have yet to tell her by the end of the week." I offered my hand out.

"Deal." He said shaking my hand.

"I'm gonna' go out back, it's getting a little hot in here." I said, then added, "And I'm gonna' win."

Embry's POV 

"Wanna' go sit on the couch?" I asked my imprint.

"Sure." She answered.

We walked over, just to see Elise and Kathleen in some deep sleep.

"We could go to the dining room table." She suggested.

"Okay." Was all I could say.

We sat down.

"I wonder how long it _will_ be 'till he tells?" Aria pondered.

"Didn't you hear our bet?" I said smiling, "Sometime this week. I always win bets!"

She laughed at my cockiness.

"You're right, he has to tell her soon." She agreed.

"Yup…" I remembered how I had been _dying_ to tell Aria and was almost confused on why Josh was waiting so long to tell his imprint.

"I mean, I understand him kissing her…I guess…, but aren't you supposed to tell them…_first_?" She said.

I shifted at the awkward turn in the conversation…_It's not like I've kissed Aria even though I've already told her…_

"Well, that's what most of us prefer…," I glanced around the room, "but you don't have to." I added.

"Right…"

"He's just stalling."

"Of course..."

"Yeah…" I drummed my fingers on the table in the awkward silence and trailing off.

Aria's POV

"So it seems like Taylor has a crush on Ani…" I finally said, ending the Josh and Noelle conversation.

_The whole talking about kissing thing was rather awkward, seeing that _we _haven't even kissed yet. I mean, the eleven year old beat us to it! _

"You have no idea."

"He didn't imprint, right?"

"No. It would be less complicated if he did."

"Do you think Ani'll ever figure it out?"

"I don't know. You know her better than I do."

"True…" _I wonder how old Josh is..._ "You're eighteen, right?" I asked Embry, knowing that I was right.

"Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair, knowing that I probably found our age difference strange.

"How old is Josh?" I asked. _He looks younger than Embry but they all look so much older! _And I _did not_ want someone MY age dating my little eleven year old sister, even if Noelle is mature for her age.

"Josh? He's thirteen."

"Oh, only two years older than Noelle. What about Taylor? And Collin? And Seth?"

Embry took a deep breath,

"Taylor's thirteen, Collin's fourteen," –My eyes widened in surprise and shock- "And Seth is sixteen."

"That's so weird!" I exclaimed to Embry, thinking about the age differences between everyone.

"I cannot believe Seth is _my_ age! And- And _Collin_! How could he be only fourteen and imprint on my mom?"

Embry laughed,

"He's really mature for his age."

"But even with Seth! Seth and Dee! That's a- what?-three year difference! Oh my gosh…!"

Embry nervously chuckled once then looked down at the ground as he scratched his head,

"Um, well," He was talking to me with a sort of on-edge tone, "There's a two year difference between us." He reminded me, still looking uncomfortable, but at least now making light eye contact with me.

I knew something like this was coming and I felt a burning feeling creeping up the back of my neck.

"I know." It took all my strength to not stutter.

Embry took a second to absorb my expression,

"I'll see you around tomorrow," Embry told me, getting up from his seat and glancing at the clock in the kitchen. "Oh man, I'm already late. Bye!"

And he left.


	15. You're Awesome and I Love You

7Eleven

_By Ria M. Write _

_(Finally on to the pivotal CHAPTER FOURTEEN!)_

Chapter 14: You're Awesome and I Love You

Ani's POV

I zipped up my sweater as the cold icy rain drops fell heavier upon my head.

"C'mon, girl! A little further and we'll be back home!" I encouraged our new puppy dog, Stacy.

Stacey was slowing down, annoyed with the wet pavement on her paws.

A song started playing from my pocket. I sighed a dropped the dog's leash (no fear of Stacey going anywhere in this weather) and fumbled around for one of the two cell phones my sisters and I share.

'_Seth theweirdguy' _The caller ID read.

This was the phone Deanna had been hogging ever since we moved and until this morning when I pried it out of her hands.

_Well, actually I just took it from her bag._

Before I had time to answer the call and question one of the Steroids Users, a cat went dashing across the road right past us.

I widened my eyes as Stacy started barking and ran after the feline.

"NO! StaCY! Come back!" I shouted after my dog, throwing my phone back in my pocket and going after the animals.

I screamed at Stacy in warning as the cat leaped down into the sewer. Stacy paid no attention to me and ran dangerously close to a large, puppy-sized drop into the sewer.

Crying, the puppy fell into the sewer.

"Stacy!"

I kneeled down at the sewer and tried to see Stacy. I could here her barking but it was too dark to see her. "Oh no!"

Thankfully, the rain hadn't been much lately and I was sure there wasn't enough water to worry about her drowning…yet.

My hands started shaking as a low growling sound came from the woods. I looked up in time to see two wolves in the forest, staring at each other.

I stepped away from the sewer, backing up to the middle of the road, afraid of the wild animals nearby.

I heard a car coming and turned my back to the woods to get out of the way as one of the Cullens drove past me.

When I turned back, Taylor was standing there.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, sounding confused.

"My dog, he fell down the sewer," I explained, "Please help!" I begged.

"Fell down the sewer…?" Taylor turned to the sewer and looked down. Then he lifted the metal bars away from the sewer and jumped down, climbing back up with Stacey.

"You're dog tried to bite me." Was all he said as he handed her back to me.

"I'm so glad you're alright," I cooed to the happy puppy.

Taylor looked expression-less as I put the dog back down and held the leash tight this time.

"OK, thanks." I said to him as I turned to walk back to my house.

"Maybe we should go to the movies sometime or something," he suggested as I walked away. I glanced back at him and smiled,

"Sure."

And then he leaped back into the woods.

Aria's POV

"Hey, Aria," My mom began, stopping me right before I was about to go to my cupboard and listen to some music.

"Yeah?"

"Can you go to the store for me and pick up a few things?"

I blinked,

"I don't…have a car." I reminded her. My driver's licenses is almost pointless without a car. And I'm forbidden to use my mom's van.

"I know, I'm letting you use the van."

"Sweet!"

My mom threw me the keys, a grocery list, and some money.

"Don't crash the car," my mom warned me. I nodded and Collin watched me closely as I left the house from where he was cleaning in the living room.

I jumped into the driver's seat of the van and pulled out of the driveway. I began to head down the road towards town when I spotted a figure jump out of the woods to the middle of road a little while ahead of me. They didn't move as I got closer so I slowed down and ended up stopping for none other than Embry Call.

I rolled down my window and he came over to talk to me.

"Hey," we greeted each other.

"Any particular reason you were standing in the middle of the road?" I asked.

"I knew it was you coming so I figured…actually I have no idea what I was thinking," he laughed.

"I'm going shopping, groceries. Wanna come along?" I offered. He looked towards the woods.

"I'm a little busy…."

"Please?" I put on my best lonely face and he turned back to me and something in his face changed.

"Okay, I'll come."

He got into the passengers and I began the drive to the closest store. Ironically, the same 7Eleven we met at.

I turned on the radio and went from station to station.

"Ugh! I can't find any good music here!" I exclaimed, angrily turning off the radio. Embry chuckled and turned it back on, tuning into a station I hadn't heard before.

"This is good." I commented.

"I was thinking you might like it." He smiled.

When we got to the 7Eleven I saw him blush, as if he was remembering our first encounter. He hadn't spoken at all, except when he repeated my name under his breath. He just stood there staring at me and I stared at him.

Jacob had to ask my name for him.

_Ahaha, that's funny looking back on it!_

I giggled as we walked into the small store.

"What?" Embry asked.

"Just remembering something," I replied.

"So what is it you're buying?" He asked, trying to change the subject- obviously knowing I was thinking about his embarrassing staring.

"Uh…" I pulled out the list, "Normal-ish stuff. Orange juice, bread, chips, cereal, and ice cream."

"Ooh, I like the last one."

I laughed,

"Me too."

We went about grabbing groceries and talking casually. Then someone called me name.

"Aria Brentwood!" My best friend exclaimed, in a happy, teasing tone. I smiled widely as she walked up to Embry and I who had our hands full of groceries.

"Amanda!" I exclaimed, "I'm so glad to see you, it's been forever! I was going to call you today!"

My best friend Amanda widened her eyes,

"I know! It _has_ been forever! How's it going?" Her eyes shifted between Embry and I and I controlled myself from blushing. Embry just looked lost.

"Well, this is Embry," I began, motioning to my muscular, no-shirt-wearing friend. I was actually surprised he didn't get in trouble for not wearing a shirt in a store.

Embry smiled at her,

"Hi."

"Hi." Amanda winked at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Are you…dating?" She asked him. I laughed,

"Amanda!" _Way to be blunt!_

She giggled,

"Sorry. It's just a question."

Embry half-laughed, but he looked disgusted and concerned with something. I examined him to figure out what it was but I couldn't figure it out. It seemed like he smelled something bad. Everything smelled fine to me and Amanda, though.

"Aria, I'm really sorry, but I have to check on something." Embry told me, handing me the groceries he was holding. I tried to balance them with mine and Amanda helped me by taking a few.

Embry waved a small wave at me and whispered bye sweetly, only looking straight into my eyes and ignoring Amanda before he left the store.

Just a minute or two after he left, another guy I knew strolled in.

"Someone still needs a tan," I teased Charles, my other human friend here in Forks.

Charles smiled weakly,

"Nice to see you again."

"Mhm, ditto," I agreed. His golden eyes looked so strange compared to Embry's deep brown.

"And compared to your family, _everyone_ in Forks needs a tan," Charles added. Amanda and I laughed.

But still, Charles was amazingly pale.

Deanna's POV

I sighed in relief as I checked my missed calls on my cell phone that Ani had took this morning.

She hadn't answered any calls from Seth.

_Yay! No worries, then. _

My heart rate suddenly picked up and a burning sensation attacked my cheeks as a new call rang through the phone just then.

_Josh._

My breathing getting harder, I excitedly answered the phone.

_He does want to talk to me again! I don't even care if he ignored me all that time! I want him to love me!_

"Josh?"

"Hiya, Dee."

"How's it going, buddy-bud?"

"Awesome. I'm stoked about everything in my life right now. You?"

"Better now."

"That's good," I could hear Josh smiling. I liked it when he was happy with me, when he was paying attention to me.

"How's the pack been treating you? How's Taylor? How's Alan?" I named my two other sort-of-friends.

"Good. Say, is Noelle around?"

"Yeah. I guess she's home," I mumbled annoyed.

"What does she think of me?"

"She likes you, I bet."

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

"She's so pretty. Has she said anything about me?"

"No," I muttered, "It's raining out again. Bummer, huh?"

"I don't really care about the weather anymore. Noelle must have said _something_ about me, right?"

I swallowed hard, suppressing my fast-building anger.

"No, Josh. Let's not talk about her. Please."

"Noelle's everything, though. She's the best thing we can talk about. She's the only person that means _anything _to me."

I was shaking, shaking violently. Panic was added on top of my anger as a horrible, ripping feeling erupted along all of my bones. My whole body was falling apart. Suddenly, I was not human. Something took over me and only the little voice in the back of my head acknowledged it was "_wolf_ ".

The phone dropped in slow motion to the ground, hitting the wooden floor before I tore everything apart in sight. I crushed the phone between my teeth.

The bunk beds were destroyed, the walls were ruined, the desks with crushed, though I could hardly comprehend I was doing any of that at the moment. As a realization of instinct took over me, I jumped out of my window, breaking the closed glass and scrapping my legs and belly badly. They healed quickly as I ran out into the front yard. Then I kept running, until nowhere.

Destroying everything in my way.

Howling and snarling like the angriest, scariest beast ever. I felt huge, I felt monstrous, I felt inhuman.

And I was scared, in pain, and _furious._

Only part of my mind was able to hear the many voices now filling my head. Most of which were swearing in surprise and anticipation of the problems my new, angry self would cause.

Josh's POV

A terrible sound emerged from the other end of the phone. I gaped in shock as I heard things crashing and crumbling. Then there was a terrible crunching sound and the line went dead.

Adrenaline running through me, I rushed to where Seth was taking a walk on the beach (right near my house, I didn't have to phase to reach him quickly.)

"Seth!" I bellowed. He looked at me. "You have to phase, man! _Now!_ It's Dee! The worst has happened! The worst has happened!"

Seth's eyes went panicked and we both raced to the edge of the forest and jumped in, phasing as we did, ignoring the destruction of our clothing.

Suddenly I was opened to all of the pack's minds at once. Apparently word had quickly spread and _everyone_ was talking at once.

Thoughts were over shadowed as an earth-moving emotion overflooded all of our minds, just as it had for Dee's.

_Dammit!_ I exclaimed in awed excitement.

Deanna's POV

My thoughts all disappeared as a new mind joined ours. I had been surrounded by the pack before I could get much further than just past La Push's First Beach. They told me to stop running.

It took a while but I couldn't break past them.

Josh came running to join us, and then, pushing past the others came _Seth._

Everything everyone has ever said about him- how great he is, all made sense.

A force- a very addictive force- was pulling me towards him. And the whole world faded away. All I saw was him and me, standing- as two wolf people- in the middle of nothing.

We were all that matter.

And then I faded from my world, too.

And _he_ was the only one that mattered, that existed. That was really _there._

He gasped. All other thoughts running through my mind were muted, except for his.

_Seth…_ I tried to say something to him but an amazing, overweighing, guilt fell heavy on every part of me. I could not even think about all the things I've said to him, thought about him, felt about him.

I wanted to destroy myself. But only one thing held me there, with him as my world.

His thoughts. He wanted me. He only saw me.

He needed me.

So I had to live for him, no matter how fatal I had been to him before. He needed me more than anything so I would stay. I would stay and never hurt him again. I wouldn't be in his way, I would be everything _but_ a problem. I wanted to enable him in his own life more than I had even thought was possible.

Until I saw him

Through my wolf eyes.

And there were only two phrases I could utter in token for everything I've ever done to him.

_Seth…_ I began again. His thoughts were incoherent they were filled with so much confusion, excitement, joy, shock, disbelief, love…did I mention _shock_?

_You're awesome and I love you. _

Those words were all it took for the whole pack to almost die in disbelieving alarm.

Josh's POV

Seth was so happy after Dee said those words I cannot believe it almost made me want to start crying.

_Too much emotion in one group of people. _

I wanted to help Dee with her new wolf thing, but something told me enough people were helping her. Plus whenever I tried I was told to be quiet so everyone could hear what Jake was saying.

Plus Seth and Dee's focus was like…there was no way to get it away from each other. Dee _just_ imprinted and Seth was _just_ getting his feelings returned. Everyone needed time to recover. I phased back to human, leaving the confusing wolf party to work things out with one less interfering thought.

I ran to the Brentwood's house and found Noelle sitting out in the front yard alone, staring off into space.

"Hey," I greeted her, sitting down right next to her and touching her arm. I pecked her on the cheek softly.

"Josh," she put her iPod away.

"Everything okay?" I asked. She seemed off.

"Yeah…" She said, but I didn't believe her.

"You sure? I mean, you just…are you sure?"

She nodded but I watched in distress as a tear fell down from one of her eyes. She wiped it away after it slid down her cheek. "Noelle…"

"It's okay, really," she insisted, her voice sounding shaky, "I'm just scared about something."

"What? Tell me what it is, please." I urged her.

"My…" She looked away and then looked back out at the sky, "A girl from town was killed. I knew her. They said that she was killed by some animal…or maybe a criminal, that attacked a few years ago."

I wrapped my arms around her.

"It's okay. I protect people from those things. I'll protect you, I swear."

She looked at me, her eyes wall wet from crying,

"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice still weak from crying.

_What do I mean by being a protector…_

_She wants to know_


	16. Cupboard

_She looked away and then looked back out at the sky, "A girl from town was killed. I knew her. They said that she was killed by some animal…or maybe a criminal that attacked a few years ago." _

_I wrapped my arms around her._

"_It's okay. I protect people from those things. I'll protect you, I swear." _

_She looked at me, her eyes all wet._

"_What do you mean?" She asked, her voice still weak from crying. _

_What do I mean by being a protector…_

_She wants to know_

_**7Eleven. **_

_**Chapter 15: Cupboard Part One **_

**(A/N: This chapter picks up a moment after the last chapter left off. So, still the same day and everything =)**

Noelle's POV

Josh looked at me differently after I asked what he meant by being a 'protector.'

I pushed my hair behind my ears and sniffled, trying to get my teary eyes to stop being so teary. I also slid his arms off from around me.

As I did so he began to talk immediately,

"I mean that I hunt those things," he said.

"Hunt?" I still didn't get it.

"I…" He looked down at his feet for a second, deciding how to say whatever it was he was trying to say.

"Just say it, Josh," I told him, not wanting to see him so confused. And my curiosity was burning.

He looked back up at me, his face was adorable.

"I am a shape shifter. Those animals, they're vampires. I can turn into a wolf, basically whenever I want but it's harder to stop when I'm angry and it takes some practice for me to be able to phase quickly. I'm one of the newest in the pack."

For a long moment after that I could only hear my steady breathing as he held his breath, watching me, waiting for my reaction.

"It still isn't making sense," I said honestly.

Josh looked away for a split second and then back at me, leaning in eagerly.

I was still waiting for something to click. What he had just declared still did not make everything make sense.

"What else is it you want me to tell you?" He whispered, close to my face. He was acting very serious.

I swallowed,

"What," I took in a long breath, examining his face as I spoke, "What does this have to do with me?"

Josh had a very quick answer for that one,

"Everything."

"I still don't understand. Can't you just explain everything straight out? Here, tell me what's going on from the beginning." I suggested, turning my body so I was facing him entirely now.

Josh nodded,

"Okay," he wet his lips and began, "It started when I first phased into a wolf. No, it really started with you. When I first phased everything seemed wrong and I was so angry..."

Josh trailed off and then quickly jumped right back into his story, "But I could hear all these voices in my head. And all the other guys- Jake, Sam, Paul, Jared, and everyone- helped me out. When I eventually got back into my human form well…this shape shifting thing is something we're in for life. We actually call ourselves werewolves though it's not technically correct…and our purpose is to protect the rez from the leeches, the bloodsuckers- the vampires, with the Cullens being the only exception. They only feed on animal blood so they have a 'get-out-of-jail-free-card'."

_The Cullens? As in…!_

"Our neighbors!" I exclaimed, glancing off into the direction of the Cullens' house further away.

Josh nodded,

"Yeah, them. They're safe. So you get it so far? Vampires and werewolves are real and I'm one of them?"

I hesitantly nodded,

"Please, continue with the story."

"So then I met you. That's when things changed. Before that I had just been a werewolf for a year and had just about learned all the stuff about us. Like our temperatures run 108 degrees and we have super strength, agility, speed, hearing, all that good stuff. And if we can stop phasing for good- which is hard- we start aging again. Oh yeah and we also heal quickly and like I said before, we can read each others minds in wolf form. And then there's this thing called imprinting."

Josh paused there and just looked at me for a second, "This is the part that has _everything_ to do with you." He explained.

I blinked, still listening.

"Okay so do you believe in love at first sight?" He asked me. I furrowed my eyebrows,

"I don't think so."

Josh gulped,

"Yeah, well, that doesn't really matter because it's not really like that anyways. It's like…hmm…it's like when I realize I need you to survive, it's like me realizing you're the other half of me. Or- more literally- it's me realizing that I need you as my future soul mate. It can happen to any werewolf. It's rare in the legends but not so much nowadays. It's sort of like…you're whole base of existence relies on you needing that person. So, yeah, it's like me realizing I need you to exist."

"You need _me_ to exist?" I asked, astonished.

He smiled,

"Yep."

No one ever makes me blush except Josh. Needless to say, I was about to blush at this point.

But really, I didn't even think I _could_ blush until I met Josh.

I looked down at my feet and tried to figure out what this all meant.

"So what do I have to do?" I asked.

"Nothing. You just be you. Oh, and…it helps if you like me." He added.

I looked back up to his face,

"I do like you, Josh." I admitted. His face could have exploded with joy,

"I know." was all he said.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier, like when I found you guys outside in the dark the other night. Why didn't you tell me then?" I asked.

"The guys wanted me to but I…I just wanted to make my feelings for you clear first."

"But I asked that someone tell me what was going on!"

Josh froze and went back through the scene in his head. His mouth dropped.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't even realize you wanted to know all of this! I was just trying to keep you from thinking I was a monster." Josh explained, looking very apologetic, "I should have told you then. You're right."

"So there's nothing _I_ have to do besides like you?" I asked, clarifying things. Josh nodded and then chuckled,

"You don't even have to do that, if you really don't want to. The real question you should be asking is what _I_ have to do."

He was smiling, finding something in his head funny.

"What do you have to do?" I asked.

He shrugged,

"Basically whatever you want me to. I answer all your questions, never think a harsh thought of you, protect you, and heed to your every whim."

I now understood why he was laughing.

"Great!" I exclaimed, happy now. "You're like my personal bodyguard."

He shrugged again,

"As long as you're allowed to date your bodyguard, you can call me whatever you want, baby." He joked. Yet he was serious.

This time I couldn't stop my blushing,

"You know, you need to warn me before you just come up and kiss me. Does this mean we're dating?"

Josh pursed his lips,

"I suppose. If you want it to. Everything's up to you. And I'm sorry about kissing you, I really need to think a little more often."

I blushed deeper,

"I like it, though. And do you want to date me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked, leaning in closer to my face. I was unable to hide my smile.

"Just a little."

"So, are we dating?" He asked, settling things.

"I don't think so. We're just really close friends who like each other and hang out all the time…and you kiss me now and then. But we're not _dating_…Josh, I'm still only twelve." I reminded him.

"Okay, your wish is my command. Not dating. But I do believe you allowed kissing." He said, before snatching my hand into his warm one and brining it to his lips to kiss it. I pulled it away before he could.

"Ew! I just realized you must have fleas if you're a wolf!"

We both laughed and hugged goodbye, Josh promising he'd come by tomorrow after I was done with my lessons for the day.

"I almost forgot one of the most important things: you cannot tell _anyone_ about the werewolves and the vampires. It's top secret. I promise I'll explain more tomorrow." He said, then he was off.

I realized how dazed I was from the whole experience once I got inside of my house. I went to talk to Ani but I realized there was nothing I could say without spilling any secrets.

I did have more questions as the night went on. By the time I was supposed to go to bed, I was hardly able to wait to see Josh the next day.

Aria (who I share a room with) told me about how she bumped into two of her friends at the store so thankfully she talked too much for me to get a chance to say anything secret-spilling.

I didn't see Deanna for the whole day, Ani slept on one of the futons in the playroom because Deanna had apparently locked her bedroom (which she shares with her twin Ani) and was blasting music and wouldn't respond when someone tried to knock on the door. Our mom didn't really notice; she was tired from doing lots of errands today.

Then the night finally came to an end and I melted into sleep.

-THE NEXT DAY-

Noelle's POV

Collin told us Dee had left the house early this morning so she missed lessons for today. It wasn't until around four o'clock in the afternoon that Josh finally came to my house. I was waiting in the front yard for him.

"Hi, Noelley! Guess what? Today you're meeting the whole family…again. Except this time you're in on the secret so it's different."

"Okay. Where are we going? And why do you look so tired?" I asked Josh, examining him. He was usually hyper.

"I just spent all morning hunting a bloodsucker." He explained, "A bloodsucker that was after Audrine. You know, Audrine Worthington? Brady's girlfriend?"

"Yeah I sort of remember her," I said, trying to picture her again.

"Brady imprinted on her, by the way." Josh added.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense. Are all the girlfriends imprinted on?" I asked.

Josh nodded,

"Yeah. And some that aren't even dating yet. Like Quil and Claire."

"Claire…the _three year old_?" I asked, disbelieving.

Josh nodded again,

"Yup. A lot of weird pairs like that. Jake imprinted on Nessie, and she's half vampire."

"I keep picturing Dracula when you say vampires." I said.

Josh laughed and explained to me what _real _vampires are like.

By the time he was finished, we had been walking to Sam and Emily's house for quite some

time. He had also depicted some of his vampire-hunting stories.

Embry's POV

I had not seen Aria since I left her in the store with her friend Amanda yesterday. I smelled something funny and went to the woods to check it out, only to find that everyone was freaking out over Dee becoming a werewolf.

That kept me busy for the rest of the day. I had called her when I got home. But I still feel bad for never returning to the store for Aria.

I knocked on the Brentwoods' front door.

Aria answered it.

"Hi, Embry!" She said, sounding in a good mood.

"Hi!" I stepped into the house.

We were both smiling.

"Um, I hope you had a good time with your friend the other day. Sorry again for leaving all of sudden."

She smiled wider,

"Yeah, I did. We talked for awhile and hung out with my other friend who came too."

"That's cool." I nodded, sounding casual as I stuffed my hands in my pockets.

"Did you ever get in trouble last night?" She asked me. I nodded, remembering our phone conversation:

"_I'm sorry if I have to hang up suddenly. I bet my mom is going to have a fit over me being on the phone still." It was late, sometime past eleven. _

"_Oh, okay. I'll remember that." She assured me. _

_I could hear the smile in my voice as I spoke,_

"_It was fun jumping out in front your car. I'm glad you're easy to find nowadays."_

"_Easy to find? Was it difficult to find me before?" _

"_Yes. Only once, really. The day before the bonfire I could not find you anywhere. That's why I decided to tell you about me imprinting on you that day."_

_There was a long pause and then she whispered,_

"_I see. My sister's going to wake up if I stay on the phone. I hope you're mom doesn't get mad at you, bye." _

"_Oh, okay. Bye." _

Our conversations never really get very far.

"My mom found me putting the phone back and she freaked out. Until I told her I had been talking to you. She wasn't so mad after that." I winked.

Aria looked away, not seeming amused with my flirting.

I bit my lip and watched as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and then looked back at me,

"Come look at this."

Aria's POV

I motioned for Embry to follow me down the stairs to the playroom. He came quietly and eyed the blankets on the futons where Ani had spent last night.

"Ani slept down here last night," I explained to him. He looked at me,

"I thought your room was also down here?"

I tried to ignore how awkward that sounded.

"It's actually down there," I pointed to the basement door, "I share it with Noelle."

He nodded and silently took in a deep breath as I walked past the basement door into the small bathroom. I waved for him to come with me. He- looking shy and quiet- came into the small bathroom with me.

I fought the embarrassment that crept up in my mind from the thought of how awkward it looked that I then closed the door behind us.

I opened the cupboard and met his questioning expression. He raised his eyebrows when I met his eyes.

"I was thinking," I began, "That you would want to know where I go when you can't find me."

I didn't wait for his reaction; instead I climbed into the cupboard and pushed off the top of it, pulling myself into my secret hiding spot.

I looked back down to where he was staring up at me,

"Come on, come up here," I encouraged him. He took his hands out of his pockets and climbed up into the dark cupboard with me.

I smiled as he sat down next to me,

"So this is where you go…" he concluded. I nodded then realized it might be hard for him to see me in the dark,

"It's quiet and no one bothers me." I explained.

He chuckled after a moment,

"Sounds nice. I wish I had a place like this."

"You do." I insisted, "Now you do. You can come here, when you want…"

"But this is your hiding spot."

"I don't mind…"

It was a tight fit in the small attic of the cupboard. My knee was touching his and our arms were at a very close proximity. It shouldn't really bother me since we had held hands before, and it didn't _bother_ me, it was just that I was very aware of it.

"The pack can get really loud when were in wolf form and can hear each others minds. Talk about intruders."

"So they like… know all of your secrets?" I fished.

Embry took in a breath,

"You have no idea."

Noelle's POV

When we reached the house, Josh told me that most of the guys were out hunting a vampire but that there was something I should see.

He didn't enter the house; instead we went straight to the back yard. A few moments later, two wolves walking together emerged from the woods.

"Are those…"

"Werewolves," Josh assured me. I was a little scared all the same, they were _huge!_ I stepped close to Josh and held his arm. He smiled at me and pointed to one of the wolves.

"That's Seth," he said. Seth was looking at me sort of interested, but also glancing over at the much younger-looking wolf next to him every few seconds.

Then he pointed to the wolf right next to Seth, with beautiful light brown fur and white patches.

"…If you notice, our eyes look the same when we phase."

Josh didn't say who the beautiful wolf was. I definitely recognized Seth's eyes indeed. The other wolf was staring at me, looking extremely interested and sort of…I don't even know.

I tried to see their eyes and they _did_ look familiar. Very familiar. They had a brown color, like mine.

Seth growled for some reason. Josh tensed for a second and then looked at me,

"Um…can you do us a favor, please?" he asked.

"What is it?"

He turned around to the house and darted inside and then ran back out a moment later with some clothing in his hands. He handed it to me.

I recognized the clothing immediately.

"We borrowed some clothes. Don't blame me, it was Collin. Could you take those clothes and follow the wolf with the white patches into the woods so they can phase back?"

I was on a level of chaos in my head I could hardly think at all.

"Kay," I agreed, having a sense of what was going on.

Ani's POV

I was on dog-walking duty again. This time, however, I found Taylor, not the other way around.

"Taylor?" I asked as I saw him staring into the woods. He whipped around to see me, surprised.

"Uh, hi, sorry," he mumbled.

"It's okay. What are you looking at?"

"I'm just keeping an eye out for someone," he explained. I nodded.

"Do you wanna come over for a little while?" I asked.

Taylor shook his head without even considering my offer.

"No. I'm busy," he said sternly.

"Oh." I hope I didn't sound too disappointed, "See ya later, then…"

He nodded and I left him to his forest-staring.

Noelle's POV

My stomach dropped as I followed the wolf into the woods. Seth came along, too, even though Josh yelled at him not to.

Seth disappeared for a second then came back in human form.

"Thanks so much for doing this, Noelle," Seth said, "We got those clothes thinking we wouldn't need them until next week but seeing you has made her calm enough to phase back."

I tried not to think about what Seth was saying. He dashed back off into the woods and the beautiful wolf stopped and turned back towards me.

Its eyes met mine and I knew exactly who it was.

"Deanna!" I exclaimed as she reached her furry head out and gently took the clothing in my hands into her mouth. She hid behind a large tree and then came out to me a minute later, dressed in the clothes and in her human form.

She looked happier than usual, like back in California before our dad died.

"Noelle!" She exclaimed, running up to me and hugging me tightly, "I'm so sorry for being jealous of you and Josh." She told me.

"Wha-what?" Everything was hard to understand.

She stepped away from me and smiled,

"I know this must all be confusing. But trust me, you'll get it eventually."

**Chapter 16: Cupboard Part Two **

Aria's POV

Embry and I heard footsteps in the playroom.

"I didn't lock the door. Just incase, you're going to need to shut the wood panel there." I told him.

"This?" He pushed the wood plank separating my hiding spot from the cupboard back to its proper place, cutting off all light.

We sat in darkness together.

The footsteps never came towards the bathroom.

"…Have you ever wondered if there's someone out their like you?" Embry spoke after a long silence.

"Yes," I admitted, "I wonder if those people would ever meet… Or if they'd ever realize they are alike."

Embry unconsciously shifted closer to me.

"Yeah. I think they find each other accidently, without realizing it."

"Really?"

"Like Dee and Seth. They'll never realize it, but they make such a great pair because they're so alike."

"_Really_?" This time I was disbelieving, I did not see similarities between those two.

"Just recently they've returned to themselves. I forgot you don't know: Dee likes Seth now. She became a wolf and imprinted on him. It's interesting to see the different side of her." He laughed.

"She's…" I tried to wrap my head around Deanna being a werewolf, "She's happy?"

Embry nodded,

"Yep. I bet she's just like you remember her before Seth met her."

"And Seth's different too?"

"Back to the lovable little kid."

I tried to picture Seth like that and had a difficult time.

"Deanna changed the most after our father died…."

"That's it exactly! One of the things Seth and Dee have in common: both of their fathers' died while they were pretty young."

"What else do they have in common?" I wondered.

"Let's see… Seth loves those Cullens. And Dee's best friends with Nessie."

I nodded, forgetting he probably couldn't see me.

"He's just a good kid. Sincere. Dee seems…Now that I've heard her thoughts and know that she wasn't herself the last few months, she has a pure mind too. She's well-intentioned, like him, even if she was cold-shouldered to the pack for awhile. I mean she really looks out for her family, for you sisters of hers."

"How about other people? Who else has things in common?"

Embry shifted his weight again,

"I bet we can find the same sort of thing between Josh and Noelle."

"Yeah. Both of their egos are pretty big."

Embry laughed,

"That's true."

"What else…?" I pondered.

"Hm, maybe their…enjoyment in hugging people?"

I stopped to think.

"How did you know about that?" _Noelle's never been huggy around him before. I mean, she hugs me all the time but he wouldn't know about that…_

"Uh, I've been hearing Dee's thoughts for almost eleven hours this morning. She has a lot of flashbacks. Always thinking about her sisters…or Seth. Noelle's hugging came up an awful lot. Josh was very interested."

I couldn't help but giggle at Embry's comment about Josh.

"Wait-flashbacks?" I came to terms with what that meant as Embry leaned in closer, his arm now touching mine.

"You were cute when you were seven." He announced.

I covered my face with my hands and tried to keep from groaning.

"I was _so_bossy back then!" I exclaimed.

Embry chuckled,

"You sort of reminded me of Sam when he was the alpha."

"I hope that's a good thing."

"It is."

"What else did you see?" I wanted to get this over with. _Not only does he now know all of Deanna's secrets, but half of mine and my sisters'!_

"Um, I didn't know you still play Barbies…"

I remembered Embry thinking Josh was crazy for playing dolls with Quil and Claire.

"Only because I have a lot of younger sisters. I have to play their games."

"Most of the memories had you initiating the game," he added, teasingly.

"Oh, shut up," I mumbled, pushing him half-heartedly away from me.

I couldn't argue with that.

He laughed.

"Anything else?" I muttered, crossing my arms.

"I also didn't know that you almost spilled the secret the day after I told you. Not even twenty four hours," he laughed again.

I guess he saw Noelle and Ani trying to steal my diary.

"But you saw how I was freaking out to get it back!" I defended.

He leaned in close to me again,

"Yeah. You said I was going to kill you if they read it. I wouldn't have done that."

"Just an expression. So you didn't know that I _used to _play Barbies, was bossier, and almost had my diary stolen," I concluded, trying to down play my faults.

I could hear him smirk in the darkness,

"Or that you blush so much when you're talking about me."

I tried to hold myself together.

_Deanna better tell me HIS secrets._

Noelle's POV

Deanna grabbed my hand and pulled me back out of the woods and into Sam and Emily's house where Seth and Emily were all discussing a vampire incident that had apparently happened this morning.

"Yeah, and Dee totally was able to track the scent better than any of us could have on our first day," Seth told Emily. He was smiling, I don't remember Seth ever looking like he was actually happy with life before.

But now…he seemed like a happy-go-lucky kid with a huge grin.

Deanna laughed,

"Except for that part where I ran into a tree."

Everyone laughed.

"Brady did the same thing, except he ran into _four_ trees. You still win the best first day award, Dee," Seth told her, "Even Jacob couldn't calm down as much as you."

Deanna chuckled,

"Fine. But that means that you win the best new-werewolf-coach award, Seth."

Seth shrugged,

"I won't deny an award."

Emily shook her head at them and I laughed.

"If this is how the two of you will be acting for now on, at least give me an award too while you're at it." Emily told them.

Seth was leaning against a wall near Emily and Deanna and I were on the other side of the small room by the door.

Seth smirked,

"Alright. What award shall we give her, Dee?" He asked my older sister. Deanna thought for a minute.

"Best muffin-baker."

Seth nodded and looked at Emily,

"It's official."

Emily laughed.

Deanna crossed her arms. I took a moment to be annoyed at how much taller than me she was now. Not to mention stronger.

_Hmpf. I used to be the strongest. _

"It's raining outside." Emily noted as she stirred some sort of soup she was cooking.

Seth and Deanna both chuckled and exchanged looks.

"What is it?" Emily asked.

"Nothing." Seth assured her.

"We made a bet with Embry on weather or not it was going to rain today. We were laughing at ourselves because we just lost thirty dollars." Deanna explained, laughing.

I laughed,

"Thirty dollars? It _always_ rains! Why would you bet that much?" I exclaimed.

Deanna and Seth looked at each other and shrugged,

"You can't win unless you try." Deanna replied.

"Plus Embry made me feel like a chicken for not betting. And he was making a point of flaunting the fact he's won just about every bet he's ever made." Seth added.

Deanna laughed,

"You're not a chicken, Seth." She said, her tone light. I could tell she wasn't kidding though.

Seth smiled at her and pulled out his wallet.

"I got thirty dollars. I'll pay for the whole thing," He told my sister. Deanna shook her head,

"No way! You're broke, mister! I'll pay for it."

Seth put his hands on his hips,

"Now that's not fair. You only bet fifteen dollars. Just let me at least pay my half."

Deanna sighed,

"Fine. If you really must."

Aria's POV

"What about you?" I turned to face Embry directly, my eyes now adjusted to the darkness. I could roughly make out his features, "Now we have to talk about what _you're_ like," I insisted. Embry looked down and pursed his lips,

"I don't know."

"You're interesting," I argued, "Describe yourself."

"…shy," he began, "Though there was a small amount of time where I wasn't. But after I broke up with Audrine I returned to this, which is how I really am."

"Why?"

"Hm?" He looked up at me, into the eyes.

"Why are you shy?" I asked, lowering my voice subconsciously.

He shrugged,

"I just am. I can deal with most of my problems myself. My mom's always on my back and I don't really like sharing the uncomfortable details of my family."

"Uncomfortable details?" I prodded, praying I was exception so he wouldn't mind telling me.

"My mom is not from the tribe. I don't know who my father was but there's too good of a chance that I'm half brothers with either Quil, Jacob or Sam. Their fathers were all married when I was born- and before, too. We hope it's Sam's father since he already…has a bad record."

"That's…" _Oh now I see why it would be uncomfortable talking about it. _"But you're all like brothers anyways. Shouldn't let it bother you."

Embry nodded and looked down again.

"And I guess there's similarities between the two of us," he said.

"Embry,…" I was going to tell him I was sorry for asking about his family.

"We both are reserved," he continued, "…But you're better at trying to act like you're confident," he added. His tone wasn't heavy. "And we both don't like to talk about our dads…"

After he said that I saw how true it was._ I come to this secret hiding spot above the cupboard rather then discussing my dad and I snap at my sisters when they bring up his death._

"…For me it's because I don't know _how_ to talk about it. I feel calm thinking about it to myself," I admitted, feeling better once I shared something with Embry. I was afraid he might not like it if he confessed secrets and I said nothing.

"Is that why you come here?" Embry asked. I shrugged and then sighed,

"What else is there about you?" I tried to regress to the original subject.

Embry met my eyes again. I still felt sad from talking about our dads.

"I think I'm very observant," he thought again, "I'm good at being bossed around." He smiled teasingly.

I smiled and looked away,

"That's good."

"And you already know I love betting."

I chuckled,

"You've made that abundantly obvious."

"I bet I have."

We laughed.

"…What do you think about vampires?" I asked.

He made a face,

"The Cullens are O.K. but I'm a werewolf; vampires just aren't cool."

"…So Deanna's a werewolf now?"

"Yeah. And she's good, too. I think it's because it wasn't such a big shock to her. None of us knew _anything_ about all of this before we changed but she was almost an expert."

"And her and Seth are happy?"

Embry laughed, finding something amusing,

"They're fun to be around. A little much at first but once they established a mutual agreement that they love each other things settled down and became casual. Dee feels a lot of guilt still, though. Seth gets mad every time she feels bad for being mean to him before. They get into arguments since they can hear each others thoughts." He chuckled again.

I laughed as I pictured them arguing like usual, except this time because Deanna loves him instead of because she hates him.

"Sounds like the old Deanna, that's for sure."

"Dee seems to think you're a little different since you moved here, too," Embry commented, possibly trying to start a conversation about me.

"Maybe," was all I said. There was still some sort of uncomfortable boundary between Embry and I that I wanted to break.

I grabbed his hand, finding it swiftly in the darkness.

"We _are_ alike," I agreed.

I leaned up quickly, now kneeling, and kissed Embry on the lips.

I sat back down. Embry's hand felt like it was burning under my touch.

He was darkening with embarrassment. _Maybe he feels like he should have been the one to kiss __**me**__. _

Noelle's POV

Seth then looked between me and Deanna,

"You guys have to get home soon, don't you? I mean, Dee, you've been out all night. You're going to have to get back before your mom notices. Collin's been doing a good job covering for you, I must say."

Deanna nodded,

"Yeah. You're right."

Josh and Leah walked in then. Leah stood in the back corner, away from everyone and Josh walked over to me, forcing Deanna out of the cramped area we were standing in and next to Seth. They stood close together, next to each other, but never once touched.

Josh pulled my hair teasingly.

"Hiya, Noelley," he greeted.

"Hi," I replied, "Where were you just know?" I asked.

Deanna and Seth spoke at the same time,

"Looking for the bloodsucker."

They looked at each other after saying that at the same time and started laughing again. Leah looked happy that her brother was happy.

Josh chuckled at them and nodded,

"Yeah." He replied to me, "What they said."

Josh seemed to be more serious than usual and I guessed it was because he was so tired.

Just then Jared came running into the kitchen.

"We caught his scent again! He's back somewhere in Forks!" He told us all.

Josh pulled me into a side hug and then went racing out the backdoor.

Deanna spoke to me,

"Forgive him. Jake's making him work overtime for hanging out with you so often."

I giggled.

Seth looked over at Leah,

"I should go with them, too," he said. Leah shook her head.

"Jake said you should take a break. You've been up all day too many days in a row now."

Seth looked down but then took a step towards the door to follow after Josh.

Deanna placed a hand on his shoulder,

"Seriously, dude, get some rest."

Seth turned to her and nodded, stepping back to where he had been standing close to her.

Emily looked at me,

"Your mom will worry about you two. You should get home."

I looked at Deanna who nodded.

"Watch out for Brady's car. I think he parked it out there, just looking at it might kill you." Seth warned us. Deanna and him laughed.

"And you watch out for Brady. He might just kill you for saying that." Deanna responded. They both were still laughing as Deanna and I left out the front door. Leah was right behind us.

Apparently she was going to give us a ride home.

Aria's POV

My thoughts skipped around a bit and I ended up with an out-of-the-blue sounding question,

"So what about Collin and my mom? Are they alike?"

Embry didn't say anything about me retuning to a conversation we had moved on from already.

"He's mature and I bet your mom and him are both mentally strong. Collin lost all his family when he was young. Like your mom lost your dad. His father left to his other family before Collin was born. Occasionally he would call him. His mom had cancer and died. He moved in with Brady- they were both thirteen then. His father promised he would come for him since he didn't have a mother anymore," Embry got a little quieter and his grip around my shoulder tightened, "But the time came and past and he hasn't called again. Collin hardly thinks about it, he's too focused on his imprint. Your mom's good for him."

He looked down, really quiet now. I could tell he was thinking about his father and how he did not know if he would ever bother to even spare a moment to call Embry. _Embry doesn't even know if his father is a father to Jacob or Quil but disowns Embry. He could be someone who looks Embry in the eyes every day but doesn't care to be a father. _

Then again, Quil and Jacob's dads seem like they're father-like to the whole pack.

I hugged him,

"Don't feel so bad about your father. Not everyone's perfect. Even my dad had a time in his marriage where he left my mom for a while. I was a baby."

Embry placed his other arm across me.

You could say we were both loosely hugging each other, I guess.

"I'll be perfect." he promised.

I was amazed at how comfortable his hug was. It made me feel so cozy and safe.

And he smelled really good.

Oh and I was glad his shirt was _on_.

"I bet I will be too," I said with a slight smirk.

He laughed,

"Forty bucks I do better."

I made a face,

"No way! I'll be just as good as you! You're on."

"I always win bets," he reminded me.

I rolled my eyes,

"You must lose sometimes."

"We'll see," he teased, kicking the plank of wood away from the ceiling of the cupboard so we could climb out. "I hear your little sisters calling," he explained.

Noelle's POV

We got in the car and I listened as Leah began to slowly thank Deanna.

"Listen, I'm not saying I take back anything I said about you before but…thanks for brining back the old Seth. I really missed my little brother."

Deanna made hardly any expressions as Leah spoke, just nodding and then looking away.

I was still a little confused as to what was going on.

"And you're Noelle," Leah said to me. I couldn't recognize her tone of voice.

"Yeah," I said sort of unsurely.

Leah snorted,

"You are almost as pretty as Josh thinks you are."

She didn't sound very nice but she was half-complimenting me…I think...

"Thanks…"

Aria's POV

We climbed out and moved to the living room, sitting down close next to each other on the couch.

Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen wanted to tell me something.

"Ouch. Do you remember where you got that?" Elise asked Embry, pointing to a long scar just below his left shoulder I had never noticed before. He looked ashamed. Tasha widened her eyes at the scar,

"Yeah, it's _REALLY_ bad," she said. I noted I'd have to remind my sisters of their manners later.

"I was in a fight once. Things got violent."

I was sitting on his left side so I could clearly see the scar.

"A fight? With who?" Kathleen asked.

"With one of my friends. It was stupid."

"Stupid?" Tasha questioned.

Embry nodded,

"I was being stupid."

"Which friend? Do we know him? Was it Collin?" Elise asked.

Embry replied,

"No. It was Brady."

I lifted my hand to the scar as I pondered the thought.

"Brady gave you this?" I said absentmindedly, pointing at the scar.

"It was over Audrine," he explained regretfully.

_So there really was a big fight._

"…So, what did you want to tell us?" I asked my little sisters, dropping my hand and looking to them..

"We made up a dance!" Kathleen declared.

"We wanted you guys to be the audience." Tasha added.

"Okay," I smiled. I glanced at Embry who also smiled at them.

They began their dance.

Towards the middle of their performance Embry leaned towards me and whispered in to my ear:

"I really am your boyfriend," he stated rather randomly.

"What are you getting at?" I whispered back.

"Don't forget to tell everyone."

I shifted my weight, unsure and annoyed,

"Oh, no. I don't think it's possible for me to do that without being mocked to death."

"Just go with the flow. Collin could always convince your mom I'm nice, since she trusts him."

"And I have to tell all my sisters."

"I'll be there with you. I'll make sure they don't make fun of us."

Noelle's POV

Leah dropped us off at our house and Deanna and I watched her drive away.

"Her thoughts…" Deanna shook her head, "I truly do feel bad for her with all the pain she feels. But maybe I'm giving her hope; that it is possible for her to imprint and be happy again."

"Deanna, you have bags under your eyes. How tires are you exactly?" I asked my sister.

"I was up all last night. Vampires…they can be very infuriating. I tried hunting one with the guys. I'm good at tracking but we never caught him."

"You weren't in your bed last night?" I asked.

Deanna shook her head,

"Collin locked the door and turned on the music. He's been covering for me and…" she looked like she was remembering something traumatizing, "The room's disastrous. I _accidently_ destroyed _everything_."

"Scary," I whispered.

"Mhm. Don't get me too angry," she warned.

I nodded, a little scared and followed her into our living room. Tasha and the little twins were just finishing a dance and Aria and Embry were cuddling on the sofa. Deanna gave Embry a thumbs up and he laughed.

"The guys need you," Deanna told Embry.

"And we need to talk," I told Aria.

"C'mon," Deanna insisted.

Aria followed us downstairs as Embry left out the front door.

The three of us walked down to the basement (the room I share with Aria.)

"Okay, no secrets," I began, "I'll say everything with me and Josh if you say everything about you and Embry."

But Aria was staring at Deanna,

"You grew again."

"Yeah," Deanna replied.

"I cannot believe you're a…" she stopped, glancing at me.

"You both know," Deanna announced.

"I cannot believe you're a werewolf!" Aria exclaimed.

"I know," Deanna agreed, "It's weird, but I love it. It's so exciting!"

"Did Josh tell you?" Aria asked me. I nodded,

"He imprinted on me."

"Embry imprinted on me. I kissed him today," Aria admitted. We all sounded like giddy teenage girls.

"Seth and I imprinted on each other…"

We all laughed.

Ani walked in,

"What is going on and why isn't Collin letting me into my room?"

We exchanged looks and hugged Ani.

"You all are SO weird!" Ani exclaimed.

We all laughed again.


	17. You Rox My Sox

_Character Lists: Aria, Analiese, Deanna, Noelle, Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen Brentwood= 7 sisters. _

_(ages (in same order as name list:) 16, 13, 13,12, 9, 7,7) _

_Embry(18), Josh(13), Taylor(13), Seth(16), Collin= Main werewolf guys in story. _

_Jennifer Brentwood (32)= Widowed mom of 7 sisters. _

_Pairing ("+"= imprint, "&"=not imprinted): EM+AR, TAY&ANI, JOSH+NOE, COL+JEN,DEE+SETH. _

_Amanda and Charles= Aria's friends. _

**-**_**7-Eleven-**_

**Chapter Seventeen: You Rox My Sox**

Noelle's POV

Ani and I sat together in the car listening to her iPod.

Deanna and Seth together sat behind us.

Aria sat in front of us, texting her friends on a cell phone.

Seth had come over this morning. Deanna was apparently expecting him to come to the beach with us today.

We reached the beach, our mom waved bye to us as we left the car.

"Don't forget it's Wednesday and you have to have your lessons once I get back from the trade show!" Our mom reminded us.

Despite the plans we made earlier, Josh wasn't at the beach. Only Taylor greeted us.

"Where's Josh?" Aria asked him, half of her focus still on her cell phone.

"Uh, he had to work." Taylor explained. He looked at Deanna and Seth, examining them both in one, sweeping glance.

"Jake told us to keep a lookout around here." Deanna explained.

"Gotcha." Taylor nodded, meeting eyes with Ani.

There was an awkward silence.

"Noelle must be disappointed Josh's not here." Aria piped up, her eyes on her phone as she sent another text.

I narrowed my eyes and sent her a look.

"It's fine. Not like he's my life."

Ani laughed and whispered, "_Suuure_," only meaning for our sisters to hear. But Taylor raised his eyebrows at me.

"Stop looking at me like that! I seriously do not feel that bad that Josh isn't here!" I told Taylor. He raised his arms in innocence,

"Ani was the one who said it!"

"Hey!" Ani put her hands on her hips in defense.

Deanna giggled as Seth laughed.

Aria suddenly squealed,

"Yes! Amanda and Charles are coming!"

"Now?" Ani asked her.

"Of course now." Aria responded, as if Ani had just asked a stupid question.

"Dee, let's go see if we smell anything strange over there," Seth suggested, his head obviously full of ulterior motives.

Deanna smirked and fixed her hair which was in a bun,

"Alright. Let's go give those trees a good smelling."

Ani looked at me, suspicious and confused. I knew I couldn't explain the wolf thing to her so I just shook my head and turned my attention to Aria.

"Wanna go for a walk in the woods while we're waiting for Amanda and Charles?" I asked her. She said okay and we walked off to the woods.

Ani's POV

"So I guess it's just the two of us now." Taylor said.

I nodded, crossing my arms, and looked down,

"Yup."

"Remember what you said about us going to the movies sometime?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah…"

"Let's go today. Since Dee and Seth are here I don't have to work."

"Dee is working at the same place as you?"

"We're the protectors of La Push. Dee joined us a couple days ago."

"Oh…" _No one ever told me she has a job. _

"So, what do you think about Hair Pull?"

"What?" _What on earth is he talking about?_

"The movie. Lots of action. Want to go see it today?"

"Right now? I guess we could…we just need a ride…"

Taylor smiled,

"No problem. I can drive."

"You…what? That's not safe!"

"Relax. I drive all the time. The rez has different rules. I'm really older than I am anyways."

"…That doesn't even make sense."

"Come on, we can borrow Jared's car." Taylor grabbed my hand and led me towards wherever Jared's car was parked.

Noelle's POV

Aria and I continued our walk through the woods.

"It's funny…" Aria mumbled.

"What?"

"Oh I was just counting how many days we've known the guys. Things have been going so fast since we see them everyday. But in reality, we have only known them for like _two weeks_."

"Two weeks?" I recalled all the kisses Josh has given me, "Oh. My. Gosh. Things _are_ moving really fast…."

Aria laughed,

"You looked disturbed."

"It's just that…it's so weird…"

Aria's phone rang and she answered it.

"You're here? Awesome, I'll be there in a sec."

Aria began sprinting back to the beach.

"Hey, wait up!" I called after her.

A heard a weird _swooshing_ sound behind me and then a chuckle.

I froze.

_One of the guys?_

I turned around to see a pale guy Aria's age watching me.

"I'm Charles," he introduced.

"Uh, Noelle…" I said in reply. He smiled and examined his hand.

"Do you know-"

He was cut off by a fierce growling sound behind me. His eyes widened as Seth in wolf form sprung towards him. He was able to dodge Seth's attack but he looked frightened.

"Noelle! Come on! Run!" Deanna was suddenly with me, pushing me away from the fight I listened and followed her as she ran through the woods.

We heard growling and Seth was running towards, chasing after Charles who was coming after me!

Deanna made an angry face and threw herself up into a tree, pulling me along with her.

"Stupid bloodsucker," she muttered, sounding angry, "Stop fighting him and die already!" She shouted at Charles. The vampire and Seth were fighting viciously below us.

Neither was giving each other much damage. Giving up on trying to get to me, Charles hissed and ran away into the woods. Seth darted after him.

_Charles…as in Aria's friend! Oh my gosh! Her friends a VAMPIRE!_

"I call telling Aria!" I announced to Deanna.

She glanced at me and then back towards where Seth and Charles had disappeared into the woods.

"We can't go back to Aria now. And I can't go with Seth since you're here. But he needs back up so let's go tell Jake."

Deanna decided, leaping out of the tree and almost breaking my arm as she tugged me along.

"Ow!"

"Jeez, stop being such a baby."

I gave her a look.

Taylor's POV

_-At the movies-_

"_You drop that gun!"_

"_Why!"_

"_Because I'll pull your hair if you don't!"_

So far my plan hasn't worked. Ani's just sat there with her eyebrows raised, surely as an indication that this is the stupidest thing she's ever seen. I felt the same way. Why did I choose this movie? I was kinda hoping she would get scared and turn to me for comfort. She turned her head away from the screen, with her hand covering the side of her face and said,

"Ow, that's gotta hurt." And "Eww."

I reached for her hand. She looked at me from the corner of her eye and smirked,

"Are you scared?"

"What?"

"I said, are you-" I laughed and cut her off,

"No I heard you; I just can't believe you think _I'd_ be scared."

"Well I did see you flinch when that wolf got thrown across the screen," She pointed out jokingly.

Someone behind us shushed us so we lowered our voices,

"I wasn't _scared_. Just felt bad for the wolf. Don't tell me you didn't?"

"Of course! I love animals!" She told me.

I chuckled,

"Good," _That indirectly means you love me…_

Deanna's POV

Noelle and I made our way to Sam and Emily's where I told the guys about Seth chasing Charles.

I joined Seth, Jake, Brady, Alan, and Paul in wolf form.

_WHAT? You lost him?_ Nate exclaimed to Seth.

Seth admitted that he had sheepishly, nodding his big, fluffy head.

_Dammit!_ Brady growled, clenching his teeth.

_Seth…_ Jake was annoyed.

_Idiot! Nice job. _Paul barked sarcastically.

_We've been losing his track all week! We have no idea where he's going; we need to catch him when we get on his trail like that. It's not like we can figure out where he's going. Remember we failed at that three times already. _Alan added.

I thought about the fact that Seth was chasing him by himself and that Charles was moving to unpredictably for any of us to have kept up.

_Stop making up excuses for him, Dee._ Brady said to me. I narrowed my eyes,

_Seth didn't lose him on purpose. Quit being angry with him. _I hissed at the pack.

Seth was still ashamed, but thankful for my defense.

_Sorry, guys. But we do have some new information. Aria's been friends with Charles. _

I recalled several times that Aria had talked about Charles.

_So where is Aria now? _Jake asked.

_Uh, since it's raining, probably back home. _I answered. _But don't worry about her, Embry is heading over to visit her sometime today. Where's Josh?_

Paul sighed. _I traded patrols with him for today. He has to clean his room or something. _

_Oh._

Embry's POV

_-Two hours later-_

The too-sweet smell was everywhere, making my stomach sick. It was on her. All over her.

"What was just here?" I asked, astonished with the strength of the smell.

Aria looked confused,

"Just me…I mean, two of my friends came back from the beach with me but that was hours ago."

I stepped towards her then covered my nose.

"You smell awful!"

"I…" she seemed hurt.

"There was a monster here. I can smell vampire was here."

"A vampire?"

"I bet it was the same on I smelled at the store with you. It wasn't that Amanda girl. I bet it was your other friend. What's her name?"

Aria shook her head to clear it.

"It's a guy. Charles."

"He's a vampire." I think I slightly startled her with the dark, angry tone of my voice.

"He's never hurt a soul."

"He tried to murder Audrine."

"He…_what_?" Now she was scared.

"He's the one we've been tracking. It's hard to find him. I's like he's always undecided."

"H-he was just here. He can't leave Forks!"

"He has been. And apparently coming back. Do you know what he's after Audrine for?"

Her eyes widened,

"I told Amanda to say hi to Audrine in school. Audrine must have met Charles too."

"And he was just hungry? He's a veggie vamp, though."

"I don't know why he targeted Audrine."

"Just stay away from him," I hissed. She furrowed her eyebrows at my tone and looked away. "He's after something. I don't want it to be you," I said in a softer voice.

Aria pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded, still not looking back at me.

"It isn't," she mumbled, "Now I'm worried about Amanda."

"I have to go tell the guys."

She covered her face with her hands.

I stepped in front of her and pulled her hands away, forcing her eyes to meet mine.

"Just don't kill him," she spoke.

"He doesn't have a soul," I told her.

She looked down, away from my eyes again. I clenched my teeth in anger at the vampire who was now confusing Aria.

"Yes he does…"

She looked back up at me and I sighed,

"It's not like we have a choice. The vampires _kill_ innocent people. Murder. We are protecting them. The only way to stop them is by killing them. I'm sorry but Charles has to die."

Aria then suddenly hugged me, pressing herself to my warm body. "I'll be back when I can," I promised her, dashing out the front door and quickly phasing.

Ani's POV

"Hey, I know this sounds weird, but can we stay and watch the credits?" I asked a Taylor.

He glanced around at the people leaving the theater (most probably wondering why they had just wasted eleven dollars to see the dumbest movie of their lives.)

"Okay."

"So, where do you go to school? I mean do you even go to school at all?" I munched on the last of my popcorn.

He laughed,

"Not anymore. Because I have such an important job the tribe council excuses me from school. 's not like I need an education for a big career, since I'll be doing the protection thing for the rest of my life."

"What is it exactly that you do anyways?" I asked.

"…You know how teenagers get in to trouble with drug dealers and stuff?"

_Like how you're on steroids?_

"Yeah?"

"We do things like kick out drug dealers from the rez. Like the police."

"Is that all?"

"…No. There's other stuff too but it's classified information. I wouldn't want to get fired."

"Right."

The credits were coming to an end. "Ready to go, Mr. Police Dude?"

"Sure, Ani. So you and your sisters are homeschooled. Don't you like to write songs?"

"Who told you that?"

We were getting up from our seats.

"Hm, well,…Deanna."

"Oh. Yeah I sort of write a lot of songs…"

"You're really good…I mean, Deanna was singing a few of them…"

"Thanks."

Aria's POV

My sister, Noelle and I started at the basement ceiling in the dark.

"Yeah, I agree that they must be keeping watch nearby. I mean, Charles could always come back," Noelle whispered, "And Deanna would need backup so they wouldn't count on her alone."

I closed my eyes, tired. Because we share the basement are our bedroom, we had gotten used to the constant chill that runs through it.

Or at least that's what we thought until 108 degrees joined us.

"Noelle!" Josh came over to Noelle and have her a hug, then stepped away.

Embry slowly made his way over to me after him and nudged the side of my face with the back of his hand for a split second,

"Sorry for waking you up. We have patrol here and Josh wanted to check in on Noelle."

"How did you get in?" Noelle demanded.

"The windows," Josh explained.

Embry pointed up towards the basement door,

"On the floor up there," he added to me, his hand now awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

I blinked as Noelle and I both sat up in our beds.

The breeze from the now left-open window made me shiver.

"Jeez, it's cold in here."

Embry sat down next to me and threw an arm around me, giving his shy, cute smirk filled with hidden deviousness. Noelle made a face as Josh asked is she was cold.

"I can keep myself warm. I have all there blankets, you know," she told him in a sharp tone.

He smiled,

"But I would be like an _electric _blanket."

I laughed and Embry joined me with his chuckles. Noelle narrowed her eyes at Josh.

"She's just embarrassed," I said to Josh.

"Yeah," Embry agreed.

"Uh!" Noelle exclaimed, giving us both a look.

"I am _not_!"

"Are you embarrassed to hug me?" Josh teased/

"Aria quit being calm about this! Mom could hear them! And, _ugh_! Can't Deanna smell you?" She asked Josh and Embry.

The guys exchanged looks, in on some sort of inside joke.

Noelle was definitely uncomfortable.

"Technically, she _could_…" Josh answered.

Embry clasped his hands together on the opposite side of me than where he was sitting, one of his arms in front of me, the other behind me.

Noelle was now glaring.

"Sheesh, if you really want me to leave…" Josh looked hurt.

Noelle was quite for a minute.

"I bet you five dollars Josh wins," Embry whispered in my ear, his face close-head touching mine- and his hot breath on my cheek.

I turned to him and smiled, giggling. We were so close; I could smell his delicious scent. I must have missed something because when I looked back at Noelle she was on Josh's lap, sharing some funny story with him. I looked back at Embry who was now staring at my necklace- the blue and pink pearl one.

"You rox my sox," Josh poked Noelle, them laughing.

_AN: Tada! Okay so the necklace was described in chapter nine: "Dee" _

_Please Review! _


	18. Deanna, Eat that Smoothie Upstairs!

7-Eleven

_**Chapter 18: 'Deanna, Eat that Smoothie Upstairs!'**_

**7 + 11= 18 =) **

Aria's POV

"Mom, is that a new car out there?"

My mom nodded as she walked past me into the living room. I was looking out the window at the new van in the driveway parked next to our old one. "We got a new car?" I asked her, excited.

"Yup," my mom responded

"Awesome! Can we take a ride in it?" Noelle asked her.

My mom examined us both, then looked confused,

"You two went to bed early last night, right? Why do you look so tired?"

Noelle and I shared a look. Embry and Josh had visited us last night for a few hours. We probably didn't fall asleep until two in the morning…

"I'm wide awake," Noelle insisted.

"Me too," I told our mother. She took in a breath.

"No, I'm going to run some errands in the old car."

"But Aria could drive us! Just for a few minutes!" Noelle begged our mom.

"No. None of you are to go into the new car."

Collin entered the room. He waved hello to Noelle and I.

"Good morning."

Our mom turned away to grab her keys to the old car.

Collin took the opportunity to whisper to us,

"I was just in your room putting away some boxes. Smells like Josh and Embry down there…"

We both blushed.

"Shut up," I muttered at him as he smirked.

Our mom turned back towards the three of us, keys in hand and her jacket on.

"I have to do some Christmas shopping," she told Collin, him listening attentively, "Can you come? I'm bringing Elise and Kathleen and you can help me watch them in the store and pick out things for the older girls."

"Sounds good," Collin smiled.

I still wasn't sure what Collin's plan for winning over my mom was. So far he was still at nanny/butler level.

Noelle and I sent our mom annoyed looks as she and Collin proceeded out of the kitchen to gather Elise and Kathleen.

"Grr!" Noelle exclaimed, stomping her foot.

"She should totally trust us and let us just go for _one_ ride," I pouted, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes.

"I know!"

"Where's Deanna? I bet she didn't know we were getting a new car either."

"Yeah, let's go find her and Ani. I bet they're still asleep."

Noelle and I headed downstairs to where Ani and Deanna had been using the playroom as a bedroom (since their room was destroyed) as Collin, Elise, Kathleen, and Mom all headed out the front door.

We knocked on the wall, trying to wake them as we headed down the stairs. We had passed them this morning on our way upstairs from the basement but they had hung sheets around the beds as make-shift walls.

"Deanna! Get your butt out of bed!" Noelle shouted.

"Ani! Wake up!" I demanded.

To our surprise, _Seth_ pushed back the sheet. His hair was messy and he looked tired, but very innocent.

Noelle's eyes widened and I looked to Deanna who was sitting crossed-legged on her futon for an explanation.

Her hair was cut short.

"You cut your hair?" I asked her.

"Shh," Seth said, pressing one of his fingers to his lips and then pointing towards Ani who was asleep on the other futon. "She hasn't woken up yet and we'd like to keep it that way, please."

"Did you sleep over here?" Noelle asked, "And Deanna, _why did you cut your hair_?"

Deanna ran her fingers through her now shoulder-length hair.

"I had to. Otherwise my fur would be really long in wolf form. Mud and dirt kept getting stuck in it and I was caught in branches all the time," she whispered. "And yes, Seth has been here since last night."

"_Why_?" Noelle asked, her mouth wide and her eyes about to drop out of their sockets.

I put my hand out in front of her so she would stop her questions for a second.

"As long as you don't do anything that would…" I searched for the right way to phrase my warning.

"Just don't _go there_," Noelle jumped in.

"We won't _do_ anything," Deanna promised.

Seth looked at her and nodded,

"Yeah. Going too far is not on my list of things to do. We don't need any more complications."

He _did_ look innocent. Plus the whole pack could hear their thoughts in wolf form so it wouldn't be wise for them to lie to us. I got an idea.

"If you do, we'll know," I told them, looking at Noelle who realized what I meant.

"I'll make Josh tell me everything," Noelle threatened.

"Embry and Josh would tell us anything we asked to know," I added.

Deanna and Seth shared a look,

"I swear we didn't do anything," Deanna said, her eyes on Seth.

"Swear with all my heart we _won't_ be doing anything," Seth added, he also keeping his head turned away from us, eyes locked on Dee.

"Of course. Sorry for being so intrusive. I believe you," I said.

"Deanna, you're so scandalous," Noelle told her older sister. Deanna looked at me,

"_Aria's_ older than me. _She _had Embry here last night."

"Yeah, but not _all_ night!" I defended.

"I guess that _does_ make you the one in the scandal," Noelle agreed with Deanna. They were ganging up on me. "Hey! Now I know what Josh meant about you _'_technically' being able to smell them. He meant you wouldn't come bother us since Seth was here!"

Deanna laughed at that and Seth smiled, probably thinking about whatever Embry and Josh had thought he and Deanna were doing.

"Just make sure Ani doesn't wake up. You can't explain the imprinting thing to her." I reminded them.

As I said that, Ani stirred.

"That's what we were accomplishing until you two came in," Seth said, starting to close the sheet on us.

"No, wait! We wanted to tell you about the new car mom won't let us drive!" Noelle stopped him from closing the sheet.

"What time is it?" Deanna asked us. I looked at the clock.

"11:00."

"Ugh. Seth, you're supposed to be helping Jake with finding out where Charles lives," Deanna reminded him.

Seth hit himself on the forehead,

"Right. That's stupid of me for forgetting. See you later," he told Deanna, stepping towards her. She glanced at us. I wasn't sure if they were going to kiss or something but Noelle and I didn't wait around to find out.

We grabbed some apples for breakfast and sat at the dining room table with Tasha.

Deanna and Ani joined us.

"Guys, Mom got a new car and won't let any of go in it," Tasha told them.

"Uh!" Ani exclaimed.

"How unfair!" Deanna pouted.

"Yeah, so we asked if Aria could just give us a quick ride and Mom said no!" Noelle told them.

"Where is she now?" Ani asked.

"Shopping with Collin, Elise, and Kathleen," answered Tasha.

"We should just go for a quick ride. Aria has her license," Deanna said.

"Yeah, we should!" Noelle quickly agreed, "Mom would never know since she's away shopping! We could just go around the block. I mean, it's not like we're really doing anything wrong."

"I'm hungry," Deanna announced, walking into the kitchen and pouring herself a smoothie. She threw Ani an apple and devoured one herself as we continued talking.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, since she said no…" I said, even though I still was thinking about doing it anyways.

"C'_mon_, Aria! Just real quick! You can drive!" Tasha pressed.

"Yeah. I wanna try out the new car!" Ani said.

I scratched my head. If they were the ones who had to drive, they would be more hesitant about jumping on the band wagon too.

Deanna took her smoothie downstairs, saying she had to make sure the window was locked. I realized she had opened it to let the guys in last night,

"Deanna, eat that smoothie upstairs!" Tasha reminded her of the house rules.

"I'm not eating it," Deanna argued, "I'm _drinking_ it." She returned upstairs.

"As long as no one says anything to Mom," I said.

"I promise."

"She'll never know."

"Of course."

"No problem." They all nodded.

"Alright. Let's go!"

We all grabbed our coats and Noelle and I quickly found where our mom had put the keys.

As we climbed into the car, the excitement radiating off my sister was almost tangible.

Deanna sat next to me in the passenger's seat. In the second row sat Noelle and Ani, with Tasha in the row of seats behind them.

"Everyone ready?" I asked, checking my mirrors.

They all told me they were so I began to back out of the driveway and head down the street.

"Where are we going?" I asked them. They were all discussing the car's cool aspects, such as the many cup holders and places for headphones and even a DVD player and extra storage compartments.

"Let's go to the 7-Eleven!" Noelle suggested.

"You sure?"

"No, let's go further into town," Tasha said.

I liked that idea better so I headed towards the main part of town.

We stopped at a red light at an intersection. Other cars were all around us, the streets filled with holiday shoppers, it being the second week of December.

"Hey, isn't it good Mom hasn't been giving us that many lessons recently?"

One of my sisters said.

"Yeah but we've had more work to do on our own," I reminded her.

"That's true."

Suddenly, my heart dropped. I prayed that the car I had just thought I saw was not the car I thought it was. Getting a better look, I froze; my body in full panic.

"Oh My Gosh!" I shouted to my sisters. They saw the car too and Tasha screamed. We all were now freaking out.

In our old car: my mom, Collin, and the little twins were sitting at a red light to our left. So far they hadn't seen us but all it would take was our mom turning her head just a little. Our light turned green and I realized I would have to drive directly in front of them. They would _have_ to see us! I drove forward, and sisters still panicking. Right before we passed them I felt myself freeze up again.

"Aria! What are you doing? Keep driving!" Deanna turned the wheel, trying to prevent us from driving into a telephone pole. She turned the wheel too much though and- with Tasha, Noelle, and Ani screaming while Deanna and I shouted- we crashed right into our Mom.

Thankfully, it was only a fender bender. However, only a split second after we hit them in the middle of the intersection, another car which had been crossing was unable to stop in time and hit the side of the car Deanna was sitting on.

She was crushed as the other car crashed into us. I tried to move away but my right side was smashed into and felt like I couldn't breathe.

Noelle had jumped when the car hit us and had knocked her head into the side of the car. She now was unconscious from her concussion. Ani was screaming uncontrollably and her leg had been crushed by the other car, probably breaking it. Tasha seemed unharmed but now had tears running down her eyes in panic.

The world seemed in slow motion as I looked back to Deanna. My side hurt so bad I couldn't breathe right so I could only feel the tears of pain run down my face as I examined Deanna's mauled body. The car was completely crushing her and blood was everywhere.

I watched as our Mom jumped out of her car, her hands covered her mouth as she saw Deanna. I knew the world must be in slow motion for her, too. Collin's mouth was wide as he, too got out of their car and saw us. He turned to our Mom and ran over to where she was standing in front of our car. He put his arms around her and she seemed to not see him at all. I held my side and my breath as more pain took over me. In slow motion our mom ran over to Deanna's side of the car, but was unable to reach her because of the other car that had crashed into us blocking her way. People every where were jumping out of their cars and calling the police. Collin, who had been unable to comfort our mom, was heading back to the old car and pulling out the twins, knowing that was what Jennifer would want him to take care of. They were crying in worry and looked very scared. Collin was doing a good job keeping them from going hysterical, at least.

Ani was still screaming and talking to herself.

The police came a few minutes later. Collin was keeping his distance, holding the twins. Mom had been asking me if I was okay and I had been explaining my trouble breathing and she pointed out I had pieces of glass in my arm.

Ani had- in between screaming- explained her leg was broken.

Noelle was still unconscious and Tasha had climbed out of the car and hugged Mom's arm, entirely fine.

I couldn't tell if Dee was conscious or not but her bloodied body wasn't moving. _I thought werewolves were supposed to heal quick!_

Two ambulances and a police car pulled up. The police started to question the perfectly unharmed driver of the other car (their air bags protected them) and quickly people from the ambulances started talking to us.

"My sister wearing the blue shirt hit her head," I explained, barely able to talk.

They nodded and assured me everything was going to be alright. People from one ambulance lifted me out from my seat in the car and carried me to the ambulance. They also put Noelle on a stretcher and helped Ani into the ambulance, where she and I sat on a bench.

People from the other ambulance started to try and get Deanna out of the car.

No one came in the ambulance with us because it was too crowded already. Instead, our mom remained staring, worried-sick at Deanna. Collin seemed in pain and confused as he kept hold of the little twins.

I could now see Noelle's head was bleeding. I was scared.

_-Same day-_

Taylor's POV

Collin had phased into wolf form to tell us that the Brentwoods had gotten into a bad car accident. Now I- among three totally worry-stricken, freaking-out guys (namely Josh, Embry, and Seth)- were rushing into the hospital lobby.

"We need the number of the Brentwoods room!" Josh demanded to the secretary, throwing his fist down on the counter. She looked less then amused.

We weren't wearing shirts.

"It's an emergency!" Embry added, louder than his usual self. Really, I felt like a calm lake compared to these treacherous oceans.

_At least I can't hear their thoughts. _

"Please," Seth begged, his innocent, pained-filled eyes looking rather puppy-dog-like at the secretary.

"First names? Doctor?"

"Noelle," Josh quickly said.

"And Aria, Deanna, and Ani," I added before Seth and Embry could get a chance to be angry with Josh for not saying their imprints names.

"The Brentwoods? _You're_ here for _them_?" a nurse said from behind the secretary.

"You got a problem with that?" Embry quickly challenged.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" Josh quickly chimed in along with them. They were both using their 'tough' voices.

"_Is_ there a problem?" Seth joined; his voice dark and threatening.

The nurse narrowed her eyes,

"They are with Dr. Cullen. I'm headed there now. Follow me," she instructed.

We all obeyed and were soon entering a large hospital room with three beds in it.

"I shouldn't be letting you in here, but I feel bad for you," the nurse said, pointing to Seth as we walked into the room. Her pager beeped and she read the message then left the room for some other patient.

In the bed to the left of the room was Aria. She was sitting up, clutching her bandaged side and had bandages all around her right arm. In a heart beat, Embry was next to her, asking her questions. She seemed like she was holding her breath and had trouble responding.

In a bed next to her was Noelle. She was lying down with her head propped up and a large ice pack covering some of her head. Her eyes were closed.

In the last bed, to the far right of the room was Deanna. She was lying flat down on the bed with her eyes closed and looking very much in pain.

Ani was not in the room with them.

"I'll wait outside." I decided to give them some privacy. Josh was now stroking Noelle's hair as she slept and Seth was hesitantly looming over Deanna.

I left the room.

Aria's POV

Embry touched my left hand, afraid he'd hurt me if he tried to hold it. I must seem very delicate to him right now.

"I…can't…breathe…" I tried to explain to him.

"What's wrong?" He whispered.

"My ribs…some of them…are broken."

"What happened?" He asked, now grabbed my hand out of a sense of protectiveness rather than a conscious movement.

"I…was driving…and hit Mom…this other car hit us." Every time I moved or spoke it felt like I was going to fall apart. "Ouch," I said, clutching my right side lightly, the pain was awful. "I'm going to die," I said without thinking.

Embry shifted anxiously as I crumpled my face together in pain.

He caught the right side of my face with his hand and made me face him. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against mine.

"You're not going to die," he whispered to me, firmly. Our faces were very close and for a second I felt better; he was distracting me.

"Dr. Cullen said I was going home…today," I told him. He closed his eyes, his head still against mine.

"You smell nice," he told me. I almost laughed but my ribs hurt too much.

"So do you," I managed to say. He opened his eyes and smiled at me, letting go of my face and standing up straight again.

I looked over at my sisters. Josh was watching Noelle sleep. He was facing away from me so I couldn't tell how worried he still was.

Deanna must have sensed Seth- smelled him or something- because her eyes were now open and they were clutching each others arms as they softly spoke. Deanna looked like she was going to cry. That made me think Seth must be crying.

"What's….what's wrong with Deanna?" I asked Embry, trying very hard to make my words audible.

"Deanna?" He seemed unfamiliar with the name, he followed my eyes to Seth and Deanna. "Oh! Dee, right. Sorry. I haven't been paying attention to them," he admitted.

"Is she healed yet?" I asked.

Embry looked back at me,

"No. It will probably be a few more days before she's alright. From what I can tell most of her bones have been broken. If she wasn't a werewolf, she'd be dead. But Dr. Cullen has apparently done a good job with her already. This happened to Jacob once, after he fought Victoria."

"Who's Victoria?"

Embry shook his head,

"An evil bloodsucker. Don't worry about it. She's gone now."

"Gone?"

"As in burnt into a pile of ashes. That's how we kill vampires. Or just spread their body parts far away. Sometimes we do a good enough job tearing them apart we don't even have to really worry about that."

"Embry? You must have killed a lot of vampires." I realized.

"Yeah," he whispered.

"Mom is going to be here again soon. She left with Ani who's getting a cast for her broken leg. And Mom's getting stitches for where she got a deep cut on her arm." I told him.

"I'll stay even if she comes. Don't worry, I'll stay out of her way and she won't be bothered by me."

Ani's POV

Getting used to my crutches, I hobbled after my Mom as she rushed to my sisters' hospital room. Following us was Collin with Elise and Kathleen.

Outside of the room was Taylor. He saw me and immediately came to help me walk on my crutches.

"I'm fine," I assured him.

"So what happened?" He asked me.

"Aria was driving and we got into an accident. Hit our mom's car and then someone hit us."

"Ouch."

"I know. Aria's in so much trouble," I agreed.

We both walked into the hospital room. My mom was talking to Deanna and Seth. Embry and Aria were leaning very close to each other, talking.

Taylor and I walked over to Seth, Deanna, and my mom, passing Josh and an unconscious Noelle on the way.

"I just hurt all over," Deanna said.

"She's probably just bruised herself pretty bad," Seth tried to help Deanna explain.

"I don't know. I'm surprised- very, _very_ happy- but surprised that you can even talk right now!" Mom said to Deanna. "And the doctor won't let me see your X-rays."

"Mom, just trust me," Deanna began, her voice sounding exhausted and in pain.

"Really don't worry about it," said Seth, even though he himself looked worried.

_Why won't Dr. Cullen let her see the X-rays?_

"She'll be alright in a few days," A cool, musical-sounding voice said from behind us. Dr. Cullen has entered the room and now walked over to our mom. "She just needs some rest. It's indeed a miracle she survived the crash but I assure you it only looked as bad as it did. In reality, she was only given a good set of bruises. This is basic. A very basic set of injuries."

For some reason I got the sense he was lying about it not being as bad as it looked. Mom seemed to be convinced, however.

Collin-who had been standing off to the side with Elise and Kathleen- walked over and placed a hand on my mom's back,

"Take a deep breath; this is all going to be fine. See? All of your daughters are alright." He was eyeing her new set of stitches, looking in distressed. My mom's eyes snapped to the still unconscious Noelle. Josh hadn't seemed to be noticing any of us.

"And Noelle should be awake shortly. She got a bad concussion but nothing too serious. Once she's awake I'll run a few test and most likely everyone will be going home. Besides Deanna."

Our mom nodded, looking worried but calmer.

"Mommy?" Kathleen pulled on her wrist, "Can we go get something to eat?"

"Yeah, Jen, you look like you could use some lunch," Collin agreed. Our mom nodded and she and the twins left to the food court. Dr. Cullen also left. Collin stayed.

"It's best if I make sure her daughters are alright," he said to Taylor.

"You guys are weird," I muttered.

We heard Josh's breath catch and everyone turned to see that Noelle was starting to open her eyes and sit up.

"Ow!" She touched where she had hit her head.

"You have a concussion," Josh explained to her, "take it easy."

Noelle looked at him, then around the entire room.

"Um, do you have to sit so close to me?" Noelle asked him. Josh looked confused,

"What?"

"Are you on steroids?" She asked him.

Josh gave her a confused look.

"Noelle?" Aria asked, sounding unsure.

Noelle looked at her,

"What happened? Did you break anything?"

"…Yeah, two ribs. And Ani broke her leg and Deanna, well, won't be healed for a few days."

Noelle looked back at Josh.

"Excuse me," she said, pushing her covers off and hopping out of bed. She lost her balance and Josh caught her arm.

"Noelle," he began.

"Woah! Stop touching me!"

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked her.

"I would be better if this creeper left me alone."

"What?" Everyone was confused on what she meant.

She turned to Josh.

"Who _are_ you, anyways?"

My mouth fell open.

_She forgot who Josh is!_

Aria grabbed Embry's arm in shock. Deanna took a deep breath,

"Noelle, do you remember Josh at all?"

Noelle looked at her older sister.

"Who's Josh?"

"Me! I'm Josh!" Josh told her desperately, his eyes wide in panic and his face with fear and anxiety covering it.

"I don't know you," Noelle told him, sounding disgusted.

His entire face dropped.

Seth covered his mouth, totally in awe of the situation.

"Do you remember me?" Collin asked her. She narrowed her eyes,

"Yes. You're Collin. How could I _not _know you? You're always at our house helping our mom."

"I wonder how much exactly she forgot. Everything that has to do with Josh?" Seth pondered.

"I remember everything!" Noelle insisted, "You're Seth! Deanna's boyfriend! You slept over our house last night!" She said to Seth.

_WHAT_?

"Excuse me?" I asked.

Aria looked at me and tried to explain, but Taylor said something to me first,

"Don't worry about it. I'll explain it to you later."

My mouth remained wide open from that point on.

"WHAT? YOU REMEMBER HIM BUT NOT _ME_?" Josh exclaimed. Noelle just gave him a 'you're-a-creeper' look.

"When was the last time you remember seeing Embry?" Aria asked Noelle. Embry was standing close next to Aria.

"Last night. He came to visit you while we were in bed," Noelle quickly answered. Embry's face turned red as Taylor gave him a look that said, _'oh reallllly?'_

I could hardly believe my ears. _DO ALL OF MY SISTERS HAVE BOYS IN THEIR ROOMS AT NIGHT?_

"And you don't remember anyone _else_ being there?" Aria asked her. Noelle shook her head,

"No. No one else was there. Just you and Embry."

"I wonder if she remembers things only Josh has told her…" Aria pondered.

"Do you know what imprinting is?" Deanna asked her.

Noelle nodded.

"How?" Deanna asked.

Noelle furrowed her eyebrows, looking like she was in deep thought,

"Um. I think it was Aria who told me."

I was _really_ confused at this point. _What's imprinting?_

"Oh, Noelle!" Josh- sounding hopeless- threw his arms around Noelle. She screamed,

"Get away from me you creep!"

Josh took a few steps back. "Why would I want to hug _you_!" She asked.

"Because you're cold and I'm hot…"

Embry and Collin chuckled but Noelle wasn't amused.

"You know, people who do drugs run a temperature. You _must_ be on steroids. Plus we all know _I'm_ the hot one." She flipped her hair back and smiled at her beauty.

Josh sounded like he was going to cry,

"…but that makes me the cold one."

**Get it? Like the vampire? The Cold One? ;) **


	19. How Could You Let the StalkerCreep In?

_Merry Christmas! Special thanks to Noe for this chapter! 3 _

_=)_

Chapter 19: 'How could you let the stalker-creep in?'

Ani's POV

"Hey guys? Where are my crutches?" I was hopping up the stairs from the playroom which had become my and Deanna's makeshift bedroom after a wolf came through the window and destroyed our room. Well, that's what Deanna told me happened, at least. I'm not really surprised, though. I've been seeing a _lot_ of wolves around lately.

I finally was upstairs and could see, Josh, Seth, Collin, and Taylor watching me as I struggled, being absolutely no help. Then I heard Noelle going,

"Weeeee! This is soooo fun! Weee!"

She was on my crutches swinging back and forth since they were somewhat too tall for her.

"NOELLE!" I screamed, "_What. Are. You. Doing!" _

She turned around, surprised that I caught her,

"I thought you were asleep."

"No! I've been up since 7:00, and since then, I've been_ searching for my crutches!"_

"Um.. here ya' go!" she smiled hesitantly, and motioned them toward me.

"Ya' know if I could walk normally, I'd get my crutches, _then I'd kill you_."

"Oh yea! Hehehe." She laughed nervously then walked over to hand me the crutches.

"You will _never_ do anything like that to her!" Josh said jumping in front of Noelle, protecting her.

"Gosh dude, I was just kidding!" I told him as I adjusted my crutches.

Noelle looked at him,

"What the hell do you think your doing?"

It's a good thing the twins weren't here. No one was really used to Noelle swearing so she must be _really_ creeped out about Josh.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Josh said backing away.

Noelle had the weirdest expression on her face. Josh returned cautiously to where the other guys were standing. Noelle was a little coo-coo from the concussion and not entirely herself, hence the swinging on my crutches thing.

Noelle and I had gotten home from the hospital yesterday. They had to keep Aria there for some reason that I wasn't interested in. On the other hand, Deanna, who I was interested in (not in that way) had to wait in the hospital for maybe a couple of more days. Aria was supposed to be home by now.

Then she walked in, and the chaos began. I hurried downstairs with Noelle once she opened the door.

Aria's POV

I walked in, suddenly crowded by the angry faces of Seth, Collin, and, the most angriest- Josh.

I had no clue where Ani, my mom, and Noelle were. My mom, was probably asleep, and Ani and Noelle were probably downstairs.

And then, the shouting began:

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!" "YOU PUT LIVES IN DANGER!"

They all crowded around me now, in a circle, the shouting continued, and I knew exactly why, they were so mad at me for doing even the slightest bit of damage to their imprints. They would never forgive me, ever. Embry was probably mad at me too, for hurting myself. I got scared, and started clutching my side (which by the way still very much hurt from my broken ribs,) everyone was going to be mad at me: my mom, _maybe _mysisters, probably the pack leaders for keeping the wolves busy, and of course, _them_.

They kept on shouting, backing me into the door, _couldn't Noelle, Ani, and my mom hear this_

Then the door opened, Embry walked in, and the shouting stopped.

"BACK OFF!"

_Ooohhh! Boy are they in trouble now!_

THE NEXT DAY

Noelle's POV

My eyes fluttered and opened to a new day.

For some reason, it felt dark and gloomy, like it wasn't time to get up. Well, of course it was always dark in the basement.

I looked over to Aria's bed, she was still asleep. It always rotated; neither Aria nor I really always woke up first. She was going to go to the beach to hang out with Embry today (Embry was driving and probably carrying Aria since her ribs were broken…though she was acting pretty tough,) Ani was going to the movies again with Taylor(ooh la la, _fresh sizzle!_,) Elise, Kathleen, and Tasha were going on errands with Mom and Collin, and Deanna had come back from the hospital last night- talk about super-healing- but would probably have to leave for some wolf thing.

I got out of bed. Not bothering to change yet I walked up the stairs, into the playroom. I looked out the window…it was dark. Ani and Deanna were still sleeping, but I felt wide awake.

So, I guess I will just go get some breakfast, I knew I probably wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.

I searched through the cabinets, making more noise than I knew. Because then Ani joined me, her hair as messy as a haystack, and looking tired.

"What are you doing?" She croaked.

"Um, eating breakfast, what else?" I replied. I looked at the clock, realizing that it was now 5:00 in the morning. Wow. I wonder what I would do until everyone else wakes up. Maybe Ani would stay up with me.

9:00 A.M:

So, Ani did stay up with me, and now everyone was going to go their own separate ways.

Pretty soon, everyone was gone, and it was just me and a sleeping Deanna.

I started to think about that stalker kid named Josh. He _was _a little cute, but on steroids.

Why was he even at the house yesterday?

He is really creeping me out.

Josh's POV

_I need to see my angel. _

I quickly phased into human form in the woods of the Brentwoods' house. I was about to bolt into the house, but had to regain myself, I had to get used to her not knowing me.

Feeling awkward, I knocked politely on the door, to find Dee opening it.

I gave her a look; she sighed and moved away from the door.

My angel was sitting on the couch peacefully, listening to her iPod, until I joined her.

She jumped up in surprise, immediately yanking the ear phones from her ears.

"D-Deanna!" she stuttered, "How could you let the stalker-creep in?"

That made my heart sink. But hey, look on the bright side: if you have a nickname, it means you are important, and she gave me a nickname.

"How could I _not_ let him in? Believe me, he would find a way in even if I locked all the doors and windows," Dee answered casually.

Noelle's eyes widened at me, and she made her way to the back door,

"I'm outta here! See ya later, Deanna," she said while opening the door.

"Ok," was all Dee responded. I glared at her. She shrugged.

I quickly followed after my imprint.

Being mad at Dee wouldn't help anything. I'll just have to annoyingly replay the pain I feel when Noelle runs away from me next time Dee and I are in wolf form together…yup, that'll teach her a lesson.

Noelle was now running into the woods. A bit too frantically, I might add.  
As soon as she saw me, she started running faster. I wasn't really chasing after her, more like walking after her and seeing what she was doing and where she was going…..okay, maybe that _is_ a little like a stalker…

I noticed that she was starting to close her eyes. And then, to my great pain, she threw herself up into a tree, slipping just a bit. It was a kind of thick tree, a lot of branches, and very, very tall.

"No! Noelle! What are you doing?" I called after her, trying to keep an eye on her through the branches. I was mildly surprised at her impressive climbing skills. I always thought she was clumsy.

"Nothing _you_ should be interested in!" She said accusingly and annoyed.

She pulled herself into a branch about 15 feet up, just out of my reach. Kind of.

And then, horror struck me. She started to slip and a few scratches were carved into her arm.

_Dammit! Clumsy people shouldn't climb trees!_

I realized that she was running from me, and she was now getting hurt because of _me_.

Then-I almost had a heart attack- she started falling, almost hitting the ground, when my arms swooped under her, and saved her.

_Maybe she will like me now for saving her!_

But that dim spark of hope was quickly diminished.

Noelle's POV

_Ugh! My eyes need to stop getting blurry! Why couldn't they have adjusted to the light when I work up hours ago!_

Then I started slipping. I couldn't hold myself up in this tree!

The stalker guy named Josh was chasing me, and I really don't know what he wants! _Not that I'm particularly interesting in finding out, either._

Then I fell. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to die. I _was_ pretty high up.

Suddenly, a pair of soft, hot hands hit my back, and I opened my eyes to see Josh holding me in his arms, with a horror-struck expression in his eyes, but a smile of glory playing on his lips.

I wanted to thank him… but it really was his fault that I was in a tree… so he owes it to me.

I struggled, but his grip was so_ strong_! Now I was almost positive he was a werewolf like the other guys, maybe a new one.

"Let. Go. Of. Me. _Now._" I glared. He softly and slowly put me down, not wanting to drop me immediately. His smile faded, and he composed his face so he didn't look too sad.

I was on my feet again, brushing off dirt on my clothes, and examining the bloody scrapes.

"Noelle, I'm so sor-" Josh began, I cut him off

"If you really are sorry, then stay away from me!" And with that, I left the creepy stalker in the woods.

_LATER ON IN THE DAY_-

Josh's POV( in wolf form)

_How could I approach her so stalkerishly!_

_Gosh, Josh! Drop it, move on! The worst thing that could happen is you will have to start over! _Brady said. I was on patrol with him and Alan.

_Well, Brady, how would you feel if your Audrine forgot you and thought you were a stalker, and didn't like you? _Alan-who had been laughing- shut up after that but Brady wasn't so empathetic.

_I would feel bad, but, c'mon, man! Alls it takes is a little more of my charm and Audrine would fall right back in love with me again. _

_In case you forgot, it took me awhile to get Noelle to accept me as her sort-of-boyfriend-like-person. Going through all that again- even though I would do anything for her-would be painful for us both. It already has been! _

_Dude, you must have done something to win her over the first time. I mean, you can't think of one time where you just _knew_ that she has accepted you?_

I thought,

_No. _

_Yes you can!_ Alan interjected, _Remember when you charmed her-_

I cut him off,

_**YOU**__ don't even have an imprint! Shut it! This is killing me you guys, OK? Noelle is…_

But words were stopped by an overflow of emotions.

_Man, Josh, don't cry!_ Brady exclaimed, astonished by my uncontrollable hurt.

I phased into human and decided that I would try everything to try to get her to remember me tomorrow.

_-THE NEXT DAY-_

Josh's POV

I saw my beautiful imprint making herself breakfast, so I decided to just plow in like I usually do.

_Maybe that will boost her memory!_

I mean really! How could she NOT remember me!

The pack is going to tease me about this forever, and how I must not be important to her since she forgot me and no one else… But I _am_ important her, because I am her soul mate! Proof.

I tried to sneak up on her, because she had her back turned. But- of course- she must have heard the door because she turned from where she was cutting cucumber, and with out thinking- I would hope- she held the knife she was cutting with up at me.

_SHE WASN'T ABOUT TO STAB ME RIGHT!_

_**I HATE ARIA! **_And if Aria wasn't an imprint, she would be dead by now._ If only Aria hadn't crashed that stupid freakin car-!_!

She lowered her knife,

"Why do you keep coming here!"

I didn't know what to say to that. Maybe it _didn't_ make sense that I was coming here when she didn't want me to….

_Crap. _

"I imprinted on you," I told her, in a heartbeat. She rolled her eyes, raising the knife again,

"Oh, _please_! Try again with a different reason, liar!"

I felt my chest tear in pain a little and thought my hardest for another truthful reason,

"Well, you see, I am best friends with Dee, and I like to come visit her." I wasn't lying._ Even though Dee doesn't really consider us best friends anymore…but I do. So there. _

"Deanna never told me that. Then why were you chasing after me yesterday?" Her knife was lowered again.

"Um, Dee wanted me to make sure you were ok."

She pondered that for a moment. Then she said,

"Well, Deanna isn't here right now, so, you are excused… you may go…. Get out!" She demanded.

Running out of options, my mind suddenly remember something I had done only once before. I decided to use the charming ability I had, to make Noelle dance with me like we did before. Before, when we had first met and she still thought I was on steroids. Basically a similar situation to the one we are in now. _(Note: See chapter "She's Obviously Fine-ish_)

Noelle's POV

I swear, if he didn't get out, I had the knife next to me.

He battered his eyelashes, and said real charmingly, "Noelle, I know you think that I'm crazy, and on steroids-" I cut him off,

"Yeah, I do." He smiled,

"Well," He looked through his eyelashes, "I was just wondering, if you would like to dance with me?"

_OF COURSE NOT! WHY WOULD I DO THAT?_

But, just something about him made me want to. He was so persuasive, so charming… _so cute_!

_No! Stop it Noelle! Control yourself!_ I shook my head.

Where? Where would we dance? _That was so random!_

Then, he held out his hand for me to take. I looked at it uncertainly, cautiously stepping back just an inch. Well, if anyone did ever see us dancing, my excuse would be that I didn't want to hurt his feelings…

I mean, who can resist me?

I really, really slowly placed my right hand into his left, he smiled like a god. _THIS IS NOT FAIR! IT'S NOT MY FAULT THAT HE IS LIKE DOING SOME KIND OF MAGIC!_

He drew in a breath as he stepped close to me.

I then was abundantly aware that he wasn't wearing a shirt! _Ew!_

I stopped dead in my tracks. He looked at me, confused, "Did I do something wrong?" He asked. I dropped my hand from his.

"Uuummmm," I didn't know what to say, "No? But could you, like, put a shirt on?"

He laughed,

"Sorry Noelle, but I don't have a shirt, I guess you'll just have endure the ripples of my muscles." He cracked a laugh. Yep, he was definitely a werewolf!

He just grabbed my hands, not bothering to ask me again.

He starting to step, ball room dancing, I began to dance with him. Every small moment was like a thousand years. I felt like a princess, no longer aware that I was in my kitchen but feeling like I was deep in an enchanted forest. And Josh was the mysterious Prince Charming who had come from afar to have a romantic dance with me. We moved together in perfect step, I laughed at the magical-ness of the moment, looking down and blushing then back up into his light brown eyes.

_You are a good dancer_. My thoughts were some sort of déjà vu. I heard his voice in my head instead of my own as I thought it…Curiously, I repeated my thoughts out loud,

"You are a good dancer…"

Josh smiled, and I kept my eyes in his.

"I'm sure _you_ think so," was his reply.

Our feet moved together in a continuing magical dance. I felt like a beautiful princess because of the way he was looking at me. I could almost hear music playing to our steps.

And then it hit me. I froze.

I knew who he was! I remember him! _I remember Josh!_

"Josh!" I screamed, excited. He looked confused, but happy. "Josh, I remember you! You and I were dancing here a while ago! You imprinted on me! You never wear a shirt! That dance made me remember you!"

His whole face lit up, and we embraced each other, my entire being filled with excitement to know Josh again!

_I remember him! I really do!_ It's a good thing that no one else was here….again.

Josh pulled his face away from mine and lifted his hands away from my body. I kept mine tightly around him, glad to be back to knowing what on earth is going on. And glad to be back to staying warm in his comfy arms.

He held my face firmly in his strong hands, slowly leaned down, and kissed me on the lips for a minute exactly.

I was so lost in my emotions; I didn't pull away or kiss him back.

"I love you," Josh said charmingly, not at all whispering but speaking loud enough that I could tell how certain everything was.

And he kissed me again.


	20. What Am I? Meatloaf?

_Happy Holidays!_ _Special thanks to Ani for this chapter! =)_

Chapter 20: "What Am I? Meatloaf?"

_-A couple weeks have past since last chapter. (It is December)-_

Ani's POV

_The ocean's eyes are focused on mine…_I tapped my pen on the desk, trying to think of the next line I should add to the song. I heard a piece of fabric wave as someone tried to 'knock' on our makeshift door.

"Come in!" I didn't look up. It was Tasha,

"Hey, do you know where my math worksheet is?"

She had already started searching under the futon I was using as my bed.

"You lost your homework?"

"No, I just misplaced it!"

"How is that any different?"

"I don't know." She was now panicking, "Will Mom get mad?"

"Probably. But I think she has copies in basement. One second."

I walked down to Aria and Noelle's room/ the basement. They were out, as was Deanna. I heard the window open upstairs. A chilly breeze blew through to the basement.

"Tasha! Close the window!"

"I didn't open it!" Tasha shouted from the kitchen.

I went in full-out panic mode.

_Who's breaking in!_ _They're going to try to kill me! We're all gonna die!_

Okay, that's an over-reaction, but you get the point.

I heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. I was frozen. There was a lump in my throat.

_Oh my gosh!_

The door opened slowly. Then I heard Taylor's voice,

"Hello? Anyone down here?"

My sigh of relief was so loud that probably even the Cullens next-door could hear it. Tasha called down,

"Ani!"

As it was, Taylor chuckled.

"It's okay, Tash!" I called back up to my little sister.

"Yo, wuz up?" Taylor greeted.

"Ya' know, there _is_ a door."

"I know, but that's not as fun!"

"You nearly killed me with fear, by the way."

"Oh, sorry." He didn't seem to care a whole lot.

I continued searching for the papers.

"Coming through the window is pretty sly, though," I smirked, "I'm surprised you did it."

"I can't take credit. Josh and Emma did it first a couple nights ago with Aria and Noelle."

"WHAT?"_This is almost as bad as whatever it was everyone was talking about at the hospital!_ "And who's 'Emma?'"

"Emma's Embry…Don't ask…and you're gonna have to talk to Aria and Noelle for the details about that night."

The way he said 'that night' disturbed me. I raised an eyebrow and tried to move on to a less weird conversation with Taylor,

"Anywayz…."

Tasha's POV

_-The Next Day-_

I woke up to screaming. Looking out my window, I saw Ani, Dee-Dee, Noelle, Kitty (Kathleen's new nickname,) Elise, Aria, and 'the guys' having a snowball fight. I quickly got dressed and ran outside.

"I'm cold!" Noelle shivered, huddling close to Aria. But she moved away once Embry threw another snowball at my oldest sisters' feet (her ribs were still healing so he had to be careful.)

"What am I? Meatloaf? Come here, I'll warm you right up!" Josh said to her. She went right into his arms.

"I thought the expression was 'what am I? _Chopped liver_'?" Seth stated. Deanna laughed, agreeing with Seth.

Ani started shivering next. Taylor was standing next to her and moved just a little closer. Then he held her hand.

Elise and Kathleen ran inside, too cold to keep playing out in the newly-fallen snow.

Deanna wasn't even wearing a jacket, only a light sweater. But she and Seth were sitting in the snow. Josh- who was still hugging Noelle- threw a snowball at them.

"Hey!" Deanna quickly pelted one back at Josh.

"Deanna!" Noelle angry shouted at her sister, "You're going to hit me!"

"Sorry," Seth apologized.

"Ok, ok. Game over," Embry declared. Most of my sisters were too cold to play. Collin jogged out in the snow from the house to me.

"Any idea where Jenny put the extra blankets? I'm supposed to be putting them on the beds but I can't find them anywhere."

"Uh…" I thought, "I don't know. Maybe in the laundry room closet on the top shelf?"

Collin thought,

"Yeah, good idea. Thanks, Tasha ."

I turned back to see that now Aria was sitting on Embry's lap on the swing.

Deciding that it wasn't fair to me that the game was over before I got to play, I threw a snowball at Seth. He saw it coming and was just about to block it but stopped short. He and Deanna turned their heads towards the woods. Immediately after them, all of the other guys stopped talking to my sisters and locked their eyes in the same direction.

The snowball flew past him and hit a tree.

_Did I just see something pale move in the woods_?

Charles' POV

_They see me. Dammit. _

I might be obsessed with humans loyalty to werewolves, but that's not to say every human loyal to a werewolf I find interesting.

Take Aria, for example. She's obviously- as I can see now- attached and loyal to a werewolf. That one is named Embry, I believe.

But does she interest me? Not in the slightest. In fact, I find her boring. She's really rather cold-hearted and quite cruel. Calculating, even. But interesting? Not in the slightest.

_Not in the slightest._

I sniffed. Only a second had passed while I had examined and thought about Aria. The werewolves were still watching me, trying to get a good view of me. Right now probably the best sense they have of me is smell.

One of the girls in the family is a werewolf herself.

I'm not interested. She's not a human who's loyal to werewolf, more like a werewolf loyal to her kind.

_Not very in_t_eresting..._

Then there's one who I can see is attached to the young werewolf Josh.

I furrowed my eyebrows. The werewolves had sensed me for a good few seconds now. Why hadn't they come after me?

What on earth is stopping them?

Wouldn't they do anything to protect their imprints?

My gaze landed on the only sister standing alone. She had a look of curiosity and a spark of intellect in her eyes. She examined all of her sisters and looked towards where I was moving in the woods. She might have caught a glimpse of me while I was moving slow before, but now it would be impossible for her to see me.

As far as why the werewolves weren't making any moves to approach me just yet, it seemed that she was part of the reason.

_Must be that she does not know about werewolves. _

But she seemed _so_ intelligent. Just the way her eyes blinked and studied the movements around her. I could tell she was someone special.

Someone special who had a very interesting power over the werewolves.

Intrigued, I paused for a moment. The werewolves easily saw me and in a second, five of them plunged into the woods after me. A sixth werewolf I hadn't been expecting dashed out of the house and grabbed the young, intelligent-looking girl. He pulled her gaze away from the woods just moments before the other werewolves changed skins and started to gain on me. I missed the rest of whatever happened to the girl because I had to first lose the werewolves from my track.

_-The Next Day-_

Morning comes, morning goes.

And the day drags on. It was snowing so much outside, many stores had closed. I was texting my favorite person.

I'm a vegetarian vampire. Except for a select few people who I have singled out as special snacks. It's hard to drink human blood and then go back to animals but I'm one of those people who can easily switch intentions. Very easily.

Audrine Worthington- a girl who loves a werewolf and goes to my school- is very much my preferred flavor of human blood. But not so much I cannot resist her. She hangs around the wolf boyfriend of hers too much to smell all that tasty. I tried to persuade her to becoming my minion instead and leaving her werewolf behind but she denied that offer quite hastily. _Disappointing, really._

But, nonetheless, I have drunk the blood of one human in Forks so far. She was delicious. And a little young for my usually taste. I only usually consider humans above the age of fourteen snackable.

_I cannot stop thinking about that girl I saw yesterday. She was extremely intriguing. _The sister in the Brentwoods' family who had been standing alone...

_Can I risk going to spy on her?_

I weighed the chances of the werewolves being at her house at this time. The chance was very high.

_Screw it. I'll go anyway._

I peeked into a window of her house and saw that she and her two little sisters were playing some sort of game.

"Kitty, what's your name in the game going to be?" The girl asked one of her little sisters.

"Ellie!"

"And you, Elise?"

"Katie! What about you, Tasha?"

_So the girl's name is Tasha._

"I'll be…um…Annie."

I listened as Tasha led her sisters in a game of house. I was so interested I almost didn't notice the smell of werewolf coming to the house. It was then I saw her older sisters and the werewolf guys they were attached to entering through the front door, apparently coming back from the house of Sam and Emily- or that's what I heard them talking about, at least. One older sister was missing. I guess she was in a different room of the house. I saw one sniff at my scent and I darted for the woods.

Ani's POV 

_They call me crazy looooooop_

_Gotta' gotta' be crazy loooooop_

_Gotta' get a life, oh mom I've tried_

_Gotta' gotta' be lonely lon- lon- lon_

I sat there singing one of my favorite songs ('Crazy Loop' by Crazy Loop.) I heard someone walk in the door. I figured it was my mom because she went shopping a little while ago and should be back. Or all my sisters and their … _boyfriends_… is that what I should call them? I don't know.

"Hi, Mom," I called

Then I heard Josh go,

"Hi, Sweetie!" He was pretending to be my mom.

I sighed. Can't this house be normal?

"Nope." Deanna said as she walked into our room. At first I thought she was answering the question in my head and got a little freaked out. Then I figured she must be talking to herself.

"What?" I asked.

"It's just a bet," she answered.

"On what?"

"Noelle thinks that Josh would win in a fight against Seth. Pff! Like that'll ever happen." Her voice got lower, "Newborn _vampires _are stronger than older ones but it's the opposite with werewolves. Noelle's got it _all _wrong." She seemed to be talking to herself now. I think she forgot I was there or she thought that she was quiet enough that I couldn't hear her. But- whatever the reason- she didn't look at me until I said,

"What the_ freak_ are you talking about?" I gave her the most confused look I could muster: my eyebrows raised, and my top lip pulled up a little at the corner. At that point I was seriously considering professional help. I mean what _is _she talking about? _Werewolves and vampires?_

"Oh, uh," she looked startled. Yup, she definitely forgot I was there. "_Shit._"

_Whoa! I've never heard Deanna swear before! _My face went from confused to surprised within three seconds, "Um," she continued, "It's from a book. We pretend we're the characters. Ya' know, wolves, vampires, ha ha!" she chuckled nervously.

"Yea, okay." I decided to read a book instead of listening to her babble nonsense.

_-The Next Day-_

"Let's go for a walk!" I suggested.

"It's freezing!" Tasha argued.

"So what?"

"So we're gonna get frostbite!"  
"No, we're not!"

"mm-hmm."

"C'moooon. We're the only ones home. We need some fresh air."

"Fine."

"Grab the house key."

"Okay."

I grabbed her jacket and mine.

We walked outside.

"Where do you want to go?" Tasha asked me.

"I don't know. Maybe the beach?"

"The bach? Whatever. I'm already freezing."

When we got to the beach it was too cold to even walk around. Tasha was right. We were just heading back when we heard a wolf snarl in the woods. Next thing we know, Charles' face is staring at us, through the bush. He ran away before I could really register things. A gray wolf with black spots came over to us, literally not even three feet away. And I could tell by its eyes it was saying "be careful."

It's eyes also somehow reminded me of Embry's. _Weird._

We just stood there frozen, mouths hanging open. He walked away and I was so taken aback that I stepped back a few feet, tripped over a rock, bumped into Tasha, and we both fell in the water. Now we were _really_ freezing, wet, and walking home.

We reached our house, now looked at me expectantly.

"What?" I asked.

"The keys."

"You were supposed to get them."

"Oh yeah…"

"Great. Now we're locked out!"

"We could go to the Cullens?" She suggested.

"They scare me."

"So what? We'll be warm."

_-Later at the Cullens-_

Tasha's POV

I was shivering. I was wrong about it being warm. Why do they like it so cold in there house? We were sitting awkwardly in the living room. They didn't want us to come in, but when the mom and dad saw us they immediately gave in.

Jacob Black was here.

"So how's the pack treating you?" He asked us. Nessie- who was standing with him- kicked him.

"The 'pack'?" Tasha and I asked at the same time.

"Oh yeah. I mean, the boys?"

"Uh…fine…." I answered.

"Cool…"

When we were finally warm and our clothes were dry we went home.

And we were both very confused.

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	21. Who's Talking? It's Aria

**7-Eleven**

_**Thanks to every reviewer! **_

**Chapter 21: **_"Who's talking?" "It's Aria..."_

Aria's POV

Thirsty, I climbed out of bed and felt my feet contact the cold rug.

_It's so chilly in this basement. _

I held my hands out in front of me, trying to feel my way through the darkness as I headed towards this stairs. My foot caught on something but I kept my balance.

I dropped my hands as I came to the stairs.

_dam. _

My side smashed into the corner of the piano.

_Shoot_!

I gripped at my side as I fell to my knees.

_Way to go, Aria! Walk into in furniture while your ribs are broken!_ I shouted at myself.

As I waited for the pain to pass, I heard Noelle stir in her bed.

I wondered if I had woken her.

"Noelle!" I called, hoping she would wake up.

No reply. "No_elle_!" I hissed.

She sat up,

"Aria? What are you doing?"

"I hit my side."

"Your voice sounds funny."

It did because I was having trouble breathing.

"Can you just come help me?" I asked in an annoyed tone.

"How am I supposed to help you?" Noelle asked, mimicking my tone as she walked over to me.

I tried to stand up.

"Help me stand up."

She wrapped an arm around my upper back and we slowly walked back over to our beds.

"Good idea; walking around in the dark."

"I was _trying_ to get a glass of water," I defended, "….Could you go get me one?"

"Fine."

Noelle left and a minute later came back with two glasses of water.

"Thanks, you're my favorit-est fourth-born sister ever!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"…So…How are things with Josh?"

"…You know," Noelle seemed about ready to criticize, "He's kind of….weird."

"You're really nice to the person who loves you," I commented sarcastically.

She sighed,

"Really. He's very…I mean…I just don't want to kiss him anymore."

"I think you're just embarrassed."

"No! He _has_ been acting weird lately."

"Maybe he's having a rough time with his pack duties…or at home or something." I shrugged, sipping my water.

"At home? ...Oh my gosh! I don't even know his parents and I've been _kissing_ him!" Noelle covered her mouth at the apparently shocking realization.

"You're a really awesome girlfriend," I said sarcastically, taking another sip of my glass of water.

She sighed again and glared at me,

"I'm not his girlfriend."

"Whatever," I shrugged again, "It's bound to happen sometime. Plus remember Josh was sort of hurt you forgot about him."

"Hey! I remembered, didn't I? And it's _no_t my fault!"

"Well that was a couple weeks ago anyways. I bet something else has gone wrong with his life, then," I told her.

"He hasn't said anything."

"He wouldn't want to bother you, would he?"

"Oh, right. Well no matter the case he's been acting weird."

"Define 'weird'?"

"Not himself. Not so outgoing…kind of depressed and pathetic-y…."

"…Man I hope you never say any of this to his face…"

"Stop it! I'm not being mean!"

"So you want to fix this by no longer kissing him? I don't see the connection."

"_No-o_. I meant I don't want to kiss him anymore because he's been acting strange."

"_You_ kiss _him_?"

"Ugh! I meant I don't want _him_ to kiss _me_!"

I laughed at her embarrassment over the entire issue.

"This probably all comes from you being so young and dating."

"I'm mature!"  
"I know. I just meant…or nevermind. Can I give you some advice, then?"

"…Okay."

"Go ahead and ask him if anything's been bothering him. It might help if you tell him you think he's been acting different…without being mean, though."

"I wasn't being mean! Its true! Josh is usually the least pathetic person ever! I don't like him acting like this!"

"Aw, that's sweet. I believe this is the twelve-year-old-Noelle-imprinted-on-by-a-werewolf-named-Josh version of being concerned about your boyfriend. Are you going to ask him?"

She scowled,

"I will. But you're being really mean to me."

"I'm sorry."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight my favorite fourth-born sister."

"Your voice still sounds funny."

I gritted my teeth,

"Shutup, Noelle."

She laughed,

"Your voice seriously sounds ridiculous. Like you've been smoking a lot."

"My ribs hurt and are _broken_. I have trouble _breathing_."

She laughed at my voice again. "Goodnight, my least favorite fourth-born sister," I said angrily.

"Night," she laughed.

Noelle's POV

I woke up to a knocking on the basement door. Aria was still asleep. I shoved her.

"Ow!"

"Shh, someone's at the door."

Aria remained sitting on her bed as I jumped up to answer the door.

It was Josh.

"Good morning, Noelle," he said.

"Hi."

"Have you done something with you hair? It looks nice."

I ran a hand through my messy-bed hair.

_My messy hair looks good?_

"Um…." I looked at him like he was insane, "Not really."

He smiled,

"I meant the flower in your hair."

I felt my hair again and sure enough there was a flower near my left ear.

"How….?"

_I didn't put that flower there_

I looked back at Josh, "Did you…?"

He shrugged,

"I thought it'd look good on you."

"Um, thanks."

"You're welcome."

We stood there for a moment. He was staring at me. I felt awkward.

"Remember what I said last night!" Aria called to me from her bed in her weird-sounding voice. I almost laughed again. _She really does sound like a smoker_.

Josh looked behind me,

"Who's talking?" He had thought the voice was weird.

"It's Aria…"

"Oh," he looked back at me, "What happened to her?"

"She walked into the piano or something."

"…With her broken ribs?"

"Yeah. I know, she's an idiot."

Just then I almost fell back from the step I was standing on (the stairs led straight to the door) but Josh caught my arm.

The warmth of his hand was like fire compared to the cold room.

His touch made my face burn.

"Clutz," Aria said, probably annoyed at me for calling her an idiot.

Josh's face turned angry when he heard her, but he looked at me as he helped me rebalance on the step.

"Don't be so mean to her," he eventually said to Aria.

I wanted to glare at Aria myself but Josh caught my eyes,

"Don't worry; she won't be able to leave the house once Embry hears about her hurting her already broken ribs."

"Embry would let me leave if I wanted to!" Aria argued.

Josh laughed,

"Yeah, right. I'm sure he'd convince you not to."

"Listen, Josh-!" Aria began.

"Listen, Aria, _I'm_ the one who's been inside his head. I know how Embry thinks."

Aria held her tongue and angrily turned away from us.

"Anyways, I have to get going but I'll see you again soon, okay?" Josh said to me, stepping closer.

"Yeah," I said, quietly, "See ya."

Josh looked down and then back up at my from under his eyelashes.

Once again I felt like something was wrong about him.

I considered asking him if everything was okay like Aria suggested but….

_Aria can hear this entire conversation_

And I didn't want to discuss Josh's personal life in front of her.

"Uh…Bye," I said after a moment of him looking at me under his eyelashes. He scratched the back of his neck, looking a bit nervous.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Um, sure?"

"Did your parents ever argue?" He was almost whispering now. Ashamed-sounding, almost. But he didn't look away from my face, waiting for my answer.

"Uh, yeah. Don't everyones?"

_Odd question. Maybe he's asking for Collin._

"A lot?"

"Mostly when I was little."

"Over everything?"

"Aria would remember better…" I looked back at my older sister who was intently eavesdropping.

Josh looked at her now, but kept glancing back at me.

"Well…um…they got into a big fight when I was a baby and then our dad left for awhile and came back when I was like two or three. And yeah they argued over everything. And they did argue when you were older, Noelle," she looked at me, "Just not in front of us."

I turned back to Josh,

"Yeah. So there's your answer."

"Thanks," Josh smiled big at me as if nothing had ever happened and he leaned down to kiss me on the cheek. I moved away.

He's expression was blank as he straightened back up.

"Sorry. Um, lets not kiss anymore, kay?" I asked, smiling.

"Uh…Kay…" He didn't look particularly hurt. Just trying to register everything.

"Bye!" I said cheerfully. He scratched the back of his neck again nervously as he turned to walk away.

"I'm sure that didn't hurt his feelings at all," Aria said, sarcastic.

"I'm not being mean. I like him, really. But he's got to stop acting strange!"

"I still think your mostly just embarrassed."

"I am _Not_!"


	22. Josh! Josh! Get Me That Cup

**7-Eleven**

(**A/N: **More plot coming up in a few chapters. Trust me- things get interesting. You think there have been surprises so far? Beware.)

**Chapter 22:** "Josh! Josh! Get me that cup."

Noelle's POV

"Elise, Elise! _This_ is the one you want," I got my little sister's attention; handing her the scarf she had gotten for her birthday. Kathleen had gotten a matching one and they had been fighting over whose was whose.

"Oh. Thank you, Noelley!" She smiled.

"I want orange juice!" Kathleen declared.

"Fine, I'll get you some. Finish eating your pancakes so you can go shopping with Mom and Collin," I insisted, trying to get them to eat faster.

_They better leave before Josh and Embry come over._

Josh hadn't visited again after he had put a flower in my hair yesterday morning.

And he was partially right about Embry not letting Aria leave the house again because of her injuring her already broken ribs.

Embry had come about an hour after him- I couldn't tell if he had already learned about what happened from Josh or not- and had sat down on the couch next to Aria. She couldn't really move that much she was in so much pain so she had been sitting on the couch all morning.

Anyways, Embry had been whispering something to her when Aria noticed Ani and I were trying to eavesdrop and told him to tell her about whatever it was he was saying later.

That's when he heard her voice and then asked her what had happened exactly.

She explained she walked into the piano.

He had put his arm around her then and it was sweet but he was being really careful and gentle. He was afraid of hurting her.

Then he mumbled something about how he keeps having bad dreams about her and car accidents.

Aria had glanced anxiously at me and Ani again and then told him to wait to tell her about that later too.

But my point was that Josh was only half right because Aria asked him if he would help her outside if she wanted and Embry said he would though he'd prefer she just stay sitting on the couch….

_So, yeah, Josh was only sort of right._

I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

"Is there any left over pancakes, Noelle?" Deanna asked me as she entered the kitchen and looked around for food.

"There's a couple out on the table," I answered.

"When are you hanging out with Josh?" Deanna asked me.

"He and Embry are supposed to come over soon. I don't know how long they're staying."

"Oh. You know, he thinks about you an awful lot."

"Of course he does. I'm amazing. Everyone should."

"He believes the same."

_That's right, Deanna hears his thoughts sometimes. I wonder if I could just ask her if everything's okay with Josh…_

"Hey, Deanna? Has Josh been acting himself lately?"

Deanna was focusing on eating an apple as she answered me,

"Not really. He's been busy is all, though."

"So everything's okay?"

She looked at me.

"Charles is stressing us all out. And then everyone's got their own problems too."

"…So everything's _not_ okay with him?"

She shrugged,

"I think he's just really busy, worried, and…angry about a few things right now."

"Can't you just tell me what's bothering him?" I was getting impatient now. And I didn't like her saying that Josh _wasn't_ okay.

"Why don't you ask him? He'd tell you."

"Deanna! You're so annoying!" I was frustrated. She cracked a smile.

"Listen, _I'm_ not responsible for the two of you."

"What if I knew about something that was bothering Seth and I wouldn't tell you!"

"That's a very unlikely circumstance. Chances are, I would know what was bothering Seth."

"But what if it _did_ happen! You'd be upset too!"

Deanna laughed at me,

"We can't talk about this anymore, anyways. I can hear them coming."

I narrowed my eyes at her as we both heard someone knock on the door. Deanna shouted,

"Come in!"

And in a second Seth was waltzing into our kitchen,

"Hello, hello! Man its wet out there," he was trying to shake off some of the rain in his hair. Deanna laughed as I backed away from him getting me wet. He smiled at Deanna, waving at her and then pointing his thumb over his shoulder, "I brought Josh with me."

Josh was- sure enough- right behind him.

"No one _brought _me," Josh disagreed, "I'm as free as a bird!"

"Whatever. You're still here, and I'm here too. That was my point."

"Good morning, Seth," Deanna said to her imprint. Seth walked over next to her as Josh came closer to me.

"Hi, Noelle."

"Hi, Josh."

"Guess what? This morning Embry was thinking about his visit with Aria yesterday and I learned that you were trying to hear what he was saying to Aria while he was whispering."

"Yeah…" I wasn't entirely sure what he was getting at.

"Well, I know what he was saying," he smiled deviously, "Wanna know?"

"Hey! Hey!" Deanna interrupted, "That's _totally_ not fair."

"What are you? Our mom?" Josh replied, "Embry made fun of me for playing Barbies. This is entirely fair."

"Don't be so sarcastic to her," Seth warned Josh, actually sounding scary.

Josh glared at him and Deanna grabbed Seth's hand, maybe trying to calm him down? _I don't know. This is all so confusing sometimes._

Trying to get out of the situation, I turned to a cupboard and tried to reach for a glass on the top shelf- the only one left.

"Oh yeah? Well why don't you-"

I cut Josh off from getting into an argument with Seth and Deanna as best I could,

"Josh! Josh! Get me that cup."

Josh turned to me and saw the cup I was reaching for. He easily snatched it off the shelf and handed it to me.

"Thanks," I said to him.

"No problem."

Deanna and Seth left the house for werewolf things.

I poured orange juice into the glass.

"I thought Embry was coming with you?"

"He was. But he got in trouble. His mom caught him drin-, uh, well, his mom doesn't know about the werewolf thing and so he gets into a lot of trouble with her all the time."

"Oh. That's too bad. He _is_ coming over, though, right?" _I mean, he kind of has to to see Aria…_

"Definitely. He'll sneak out when he can. So, how's your morning so far?"

"Good," I said as I walked into the dining room and finally gave Kathleen her orange juice, "How about yours?"

"Way better now that I'm talking to you," he said, almost flirtatiously. I laughed a little.

"Does that mean it was bad before?"

His smile melted away to a slight frown,

"Actually, yes."

"Really? What happened?" I didn't sound so much concerned, more like curious.

"Well my mom and my dad were yelling at Kelsey and then-,"

"Who's Kelsey?"

"Oh. I've never mentioned her? She's my little sister."

"You have a little sister? How old is she?"  
"Eight. Sorry I've never said anything about her before."

"And I've never met you're parents!"

"Do you want to?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then that's what we'll do today."

"Uhh…" I was now nervous.

"Don't worry; they'll be nice to you. They'll love you."

"Okay…"

"Now we just need a car to get there…."


	23. Mrs um, Josh's Mom

_chapter 23: "Mrs. ...um, Josh's mom." _

_Noelle's POV_

"Oh, so you are Noelle?" A woman with skeptical eyes asked me.

"Yes," I tried my best to smile politely.

"This is my mom," Josh introduced the sophisticated looking woman. She was slim and trying very hard to look younger than she was.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Noelle." Josh's mom had short, curled hair and a smile that seemed almost devious.

"Uh, thanks. It's nice to meet you, too, Mrs. …um, Josh's mom."

"Oh, please, just call me Cindy."

"Oh, okay."

Josh grabbed my hand and started walking towards what looked like his living room,

"See ya, Mom," he said as we left the kitchen.

"Bye, Joshua."

I couldn't stop my laugh,

"I've never heard anyone call you Joshua!"

Josh cracked a smile,

"Yeah, I know."  
"And I also just realized I don't know your last name!" I exclaimed to him.

"Don't sweat it," he said, crashing down on his couch. I placed myself next to him. "It's BlackHawk."

"Joshua BlackHawk," I mused aloud. He laughed then and so did I.

A girl walked into the living room and headed past us towards the kitchen.

"Ay! Kelsey! Say hi to Noelle!" Josh called to her. The girl turned to face us and waved to me with an awkward look on her face.

I nervously smiled back and she stuck out her tongue to Josh, leaving the room.

"She knows who I am?" I asked him.

"Yeah. She's used to me bringing home pretty girls."

I held my laugh.


	24. You like Boys, Don't You?

7Eleven

Chapter 24: "You like boys, don't you?"

Pretty soon Josh and I were watching a movie. _Finding Nemo_, actually.

Kelsey had re-entered the living room and was sitting on the staircase watching the movie along with us. Every once and awhile I'd see her staring at me out the corner of my eye. I got kinda worried that I didn't look okay because I didn't know why she'd be staring.

But then I thought about how I would probably stare at me, too, if I was her. She probably knew about imprinting and everything and found me interesting- seeing as she knew her brother was going to end up marrying me one day and how he found me so great. I could understand why she would be curious.

_Plus I'm beautiful so if she's staring she's also admiring my beauty._

"Do you have pierced ears?" the girl suddenly asked me as Dory was talking to the sharks.

I looked at her,

"Oh, I… yeah. I have pierced ears."

"That's cool. I was going to get mine pierced but I'm too scared."

"Oh. It isn't that bad."

"Josh is such a baby. He would cry if anyone pierced his ears."

"I would not! You brat! I'm like the toughest thing on the planet!" Josh objected.

"Oh yeah? Idiot, I saw you crying _yesterday_ and you weren't even hurt! You're _such_ a baby!"

"Kelsey shut up!"

"You were crying?" I asked him, quieter.

He looked away from Kelsey and down at me.

"Yeah."

"From what?"

Kelsey answered me before he could,

"Mom and Dad are probably getting a divorce because of him."

"What? What did you do?" I asked him.

He looked pretty upset now,

"Nothing, it's just-ugh! My dad doesn't want me living in the house any more but my mom says she's leaving him if he kicks me out."

"Why doesn't he want you living here anymore?"

Kelsey laughed,

"Josh makes such a mess of things, is why. He comes home late, leaves early, never is home for dinner, never does any chores or helps out, ruins all of his clothes all the time which costs mom and dad a lot of money, and can't get a real job so he's just using up a lot of mom and dads energy."

Josh bit his lip as Kelsey talked and then said slowly,

"I'm about as useful to them as a deadbeat. My dad looks at me as a slacker and wants me to live on my own somewhere."

"But you can't! You have responsibility as a tribe protector!" I said, unbelieving.

"I know. He doesn't care though. He doesn't want to deal with me anymore."

"That's so mean!" I exclaimed. Josh looked down, nodding.

I tapped his head,

"But you're mom's not gonna let him do that."

"I just don't want their marriage to be ruined because of me." Josh sounded sad.

"Are you're parents divorced?" Kelsey asked me.

"No. My dad died."

"Oh. Sorry."

I shrugged.

"Don't worry, though, Josh. It's not really _your_ fault!" I assured him.

He smiled at me,

"Thanks, Noelley, Babe."

I sorta smiled but that was a weird name that he called me…

"It's like five. Shouldn't you be going home now?" Kelsey asked me.

It was kind of rude the way she said it, too.

"Um. Yeah…Josh?"

"I'll have my mom give us a ride back to your house."

When we got back home, Elise and Kathleen were in the living room talking about how a boy their age who they saw in the store today had 'cooties.'

"Boys are _so_ gross," Elise said.

"And their faces are so weird!" Kathleen added.

Josh and I were just walking in the front door as they said this.

I laughed,

"You guys are so silly. You're not gonna think that when you're older."

Elise turned to me with an extremely devious smile,

"You _like_ boys, don't you?" She accused, with that huge smile kinda creeping me out.

"I hope so…" Josh answered for me.

I laughed. So did Elise and Kathleen, but I don't think they actually understood why he was funny.

"I'll see ya tomorrow, Noelle."

"See ya! Bye, Josh," I turned to him.

He hugged me and quickly kissed the side of my head while my little sisters weren't watching.

"Bye," he said and left. I let out my ridiculous smile after the door closed.

**A/N:** Yup. 7Eleven is back this time. Those plot twists I promised are on their way. Really.

Reviews=Good.

Not reviewing=Bad. Bad=Dark side. (And the dark side is lying about having cookies. Review =)

Thanks,

-RMW


	25. My Love! What? Excuse me? Uh, no

7Eleven

Chapter 25: "My Love!" "What?" "Excuse Me? Uh, No."

**Merry Christmas!** (that's right. Yes, I know it's really May now but the characters don't need to know that. Shhh.)

Tasha's POV

Mom's having a Christmas party and invited all her friends. We don't know any of them but our house is apparently going to be pretty packed.

So yesterday I bought decorations with Collin. And right now I'm helping him put them up.

"Hey, Tash, you want to put this up?" He asked, kinda confused, holding up a decoration I had picked out. I think it's called mistletoe or something.

"Yeah. Why not, Collin?"

He paused for a moment and then laughed,

"No, nothing. You don't even know what mistletoe is, do you, Tasha?"

"Isn't it a Christmas decoration?"

Collin nodded,

"Mhm. Where do you want to hang it up? It should go in a doorway."

"Okay. How about in-between the kitchen and the dining room?"

"Good idea." Collin put it up.

"Hey, Collin! Are your friends coming?" Mom called from upstairs, coming to the top of the staircase to look at him.

"Oh yeah. I'll go give them a ride over here."

Mom smiled,

"Alright. Cool. Thanks for helping decorate, Collin."

"No problem, Mrs. Brentwood…uh, I mean, Jenny." Collin smiled back.

Mom left back to cleaning the upstairs and Collin waved bye to me as he headed out the front door.

My sisters then came from the kitchen, carrying a gingerbread house that still had to be decorated. They placed it on the dining room table.

"Tasha, we're decorating this now," Aria told me. I walked over to join them.

We all divided up the gingerbread house so each person had a piece they were in charge of decorating.

I spread some icing on a side of the house, but I accidently put too much on and it began to slide off.

Noelle wasn't doing much better than me, she drew a line of icing and it fell off. Aria chuckled at her and sarcastically asked,

"Where did you learn such skill, Noelle?"

"You," I quickly answered for Noelle, teasing Aria.

Aria laughed,

"Riight."

Elise and Kathleen giggled and Noelle stuck out her tongue at Aria.

"We should play 'what would you do,'" Aria suggested.

"I'll go first," Ani said. "Hmmm. Noelle, would you rather go into a burning house to save a friend and die saving them or have Josh go and save them and die instead?"

Noelle thought for a second,

"Well, I would rather have Josh go-"

We all started laughing

"Noelle!" We exclaimed at her.

"No no!" She laughed, "Let me explain! It makes sense! If I go and die then Josh wouldn't live without me so he'd die too! So if he just goes then only one person dies instead of two!"

We all laughed.

"Okay, my turn!" I said. Then I looked at Dee-Dee, "Would you rather marry Seth or die?"

"Oh this is obvious," Noelle said.

"Yeah," Ani agreed.

"ummm," Deanna said, thinking.

"What? Why is it taking you time to think?" Aria exclaimed.

"Well it's just a big decision!" Deanna defended. It was then we all realized she was only pretending. We laughed.

"SO, would you rather marry Seth or die?" I asked again, as the guys entered in the living room.

"Ummmm," Deanna pretended to really be thinking hard about it. Seth walked over to us,

"It's that difficult of a decision?" He asked, in disbelief.

Dee-Dee laughed,

"No, I'm only kidding, Seth."

"You _better_ be," he joked, smiling at her.

We laughed.

Josh, Embry, Taylor, and Collin joined us, too. Josh stood in the doorway near the kitchen.

"Hey, Josh!" I said to him, "You're under the mistletoe!"

My sisters and the other guys laughed as Stacey ran over to Josh, wanting to be pet.

"You have to kiss Stacey!" Dee-Dee told him.

"What? Ew! No way! I don't wanna kiss a dog!" Josh protested.

"Why not? Noelle does it all the time," Embry chuckled.

"Hey!" Josh said, offended.

"What? Noelle kisses Stacey?" Ani asked, confused.

My older sisters exchanged looks while Seth laughed.

"He's calling me a dog," Josh explained. "Not that he should be talking," he mumbled afterwards.

"I have one!" Noelle exclaimed.

"Have what?" Josh asked, confused.

"Ani, would you rather go under the mistletoe with Taylor or kiss Josh?"

"What! You're using _me_ as the other option? Noellleeee!" Josh whined.

Ani answered as Taylor awkwardly put his hands in his pockets, looking embarrassed,

"I would rather go under the mistletoe with Taylor."

"Oooooooh!" All my sisters said.

Josh laughed and Embry raised his eyebrows at Taylor. Seth said,

"You guys are all insane." But he was smiling. "C'mon, let's go see if your mom needs any more help cleaning," he said to Dee-Dee. She nodded and walked upstairs with them, quickly followed by Collin. Josh stepped out from under the mistletoe. Stacey followed him.

"Um. I think your dog is possessed or something."

Embry chuckled quietly,

"What? You're an idiot, Josh."

"Shutup, Emma. Noelle, what does your dog want from me?"

Noelle laughed,

"I don't know. She likes you, I guess."

"Ew."

"Here Stacey!" Ani called over the dog. Stacey ran over to her. "I'll bring her for a walk outside," Ani said, "Wanna come, Noelle?"

"Sure. Josh?"

"Fine. If I have to."

"I'm coming too," Taylor said.

They left outside and Collin called Elise and Kathleen and I to go outside with him to help put up lights.

Aria's POV

It was just Embry and I in the dining room now.

I looked at the leftover candy that we had been using to decorate the now finished gingerbread house.

Embry was looking at something in the kitchen.

I picked up a candy and aimed for his head.

"Hey, you know that Charles bloodsucker…"

I quickly put my hand down as he turned to look at me.  
"What? Yeah, what about him?"

"…Could I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Could you do me a favor and just stay away from him. Don't talk to him or anything. Even if you want to, even if you don't think he'll hurt you."

"…Yeah. I won't go near him."

"Thanks."

"Mhm."

He turned away again.

I tossed the piece of candy at him.

It hit his head and he turned back towards me. He raised his eyebrows. I threw another right his face this time.

I didn't hide my smile very well. He smiled back and grabbed a handful of candies from a different bowl, starting to toss them at me.

I laughed and grabbed a handful, hiding under the table as he tried to hit me. I threw more at him, but he was winning by a lot.

We did this until my mom came downstairs and walked past us to her office. We laughed as we realized that there was now candy covering the floor.

I crawled under the table to pick them up as Embry collected the ones on the table. I threw the rest away and sat back down at the table, ignoring the pain from my still-broken ribs.

Embry sat across from me.

I placed my head down on my hands. He did the same.

"Hi," he said.  
"Hello," I laughed.

He moved one of his hands and took something out of his pocket, then held it up above our heads.

I was kind of hesitant to see what it was.

He smiled kind of mischievously.

I rolled my eyes and looked up.

He was holding the mistletoe.

I laughed and looked back at him.

"We're supposed to kiss," he said.

"Oh really?" I asked sarcastically.

Embry kissed me then.

Josh's POV

After guests had arrived, Noelle and I had sat down at the dining room table. I think Embry, Taylor and Seth had gone down to the basement with Aria, Ani and Dee but I wasn't sure. Regardless, we hadn't seen them around.

"These are good seats. We can watch the party and other people and no ones bothering us," Noelle said.

I laughed,

"Yeah. We rule this party."

"We're like the King and the Queen."

"Mhm. Definitely."

There was something in the back of my head bothering me. And I wanted to talk to Noelle about it.

Just then, Elise and Kathleen walked over to us.

"Hey guys," I said to them.

"What are Aria, Ani and Deanna doing?" Noelle asked them.

"Don't know," Kathleen shrugged.

"Are they in the basement?" Noelle asked.

"Yeah," Elise said.

"Well go find out for us!" Noelle told them.

"Okay." The twins left.

Noelle laughed,

"They're our messengers, since we're the King and Queen."

I took a deep breath,

"Noelle, I kind of really want to talk to you about something…"

"Hey! That kid has a candy cane!" Noelle exclaimed, noticing that a boy who passing by us was holding a candy cane.

"Uh, yes, he does. So, you see, I wanna talk about-"

"I want a candy cane! Where did he get that from? Did you see any candy canes?"

"No…But anyways, Noelle-"

"I'm going to go find those candy canes. I want one. And you're coming with me so you can help me with your werewolf sense or whatever," she grabbed my wrist and stood up. She led me around the house.

"Noelle, I don't think there are any candy canes."

"Shhh! There has to be!"

I sighed,

"Okay."

We walked around the house until she found a container of candy canes in the kitchen. We returned to our seats at the table.

She waved her candy cane in my face,

"I told you I'd find one! Ha ha!"

"Yes, you're very good." I tried again to talk to her,

"I've been concerned-"

She spit out the piece of candy cane she had just put in her mouth.

"Ew! This doesn't taste good! It's all chewy!"

I frowned. "Help me find a better one! That kid had one that looked different then these anyways."

I got up with her again. This time we stopped in front of the office to let people walk past us. I noticed the office was empty. I grabbed Noelle's arm,

"This room has no people, let's go."

I led her in

"Hey! What about the candy cane."

"One second." We sat down on the small couch. "I just want to talk to you about something."

She looked at me, listening.

I let out a breath,

"You see, Noelle, I understand that you said you don't want to really be 'dating'-"

"Fireball?"

"What?" I blinked. Noelle was holding out a red candy in front of my face. "Umm"

"They're hot," she said.

I looked back into her eyes.

"Noelle, really, _please_. Just listen for a second."

"Oh…alright."

"thank you. I know you don't said you don't want us to be dating and said you don't want to kiss anymore but I just…well….I wanted to know if you still feel that way?"

She didn't respond at all. I sighed,

"Noelle? Will you go out with me?"

She slowly smiled,

"Yeah."

I smiled,

"Can I kiss you?"

Her eyes looked away for a second and seemed kind of embarrassed,

"_Welll_, I guess _technically_ you _could-_"

I took that as a yes and quickly held her face and kissed her.

Ani's POV

I looked over at Seth and Deanna who were sitting on the couch together (we were down in the basement.)

They weren't talking but it didn't look like they felt awkward at all. Seth put his hand on Deanna's shoulder. Then he put his arm back down as Collin walked over to talk to him. As the two guys talked, Deanna quietly played with Seth's arm.

It was kinda sweet, actually.

Taylor, Elise, Kathleen, and I were playing Candy Land.

Kathleen was winning.

We hadn't seen Noelle, Josh, Aria, or Embry in awhile.

But at that moment Noelle and Josh walked down to join us.

"This is like my bedroom, guys," Noelle reminded us, "It's kinda weird that you're all hanging out here."

She was holding Josh's hand.

Aria and Embry entered through the door then, too.

"Aria!" Noelle said, "I haven't seen you in _hours_!"

Aria held out her hand towards Noelle,

"My love!" Noelle let go of Josh's hand to do the same.

"What?" Embry asked

"Excuse me? Uh, no." Josh took back Noelle's hand and stuck his tongue out at Aria. Aria just laughed as Embry raised his eyebrows at her.


	26. Who's 'the princess'

7Eleven

Chapter 26: "Who's 'the princess?'"

Dr. Quris Victoris Braveman O'Toole _a.k.a._ Bob Brentwood "heard" the sound of anguish as clearly as if it had been uttered.

"_I'd better hurry."_

Dr. Quris was a unique and rare human. He was talented in skills that enabled him to succeed in many intricate situations.

He knew that an enemy of the lycanthropes was trying to find a way to eliminate them, that's why he had to accelerate his work. His team thought he could work faster is he could devote all his time to finding a way to help the lycanthropes.

So his team faked the circumstances that enabled him to go under cover.

_"Hold on Buddy, I'm coming."_

Elise's POV

I was eating potato chips, sitting on Aria's lap.

Embry was sitting across from us. He looked sad.

I turned to my older sister,

"Can we go outside now?"

"Uh, in a second," Aria said, "We're just waiting until the princess is finished getting ready."

"Who's 'the princess'?" I asked. I had never heard Aria call anyone that before, even though I thought I knew who she meant.

She looked at me for a moment,

"Who do you think?" We both knew that if there was only one of us that would have _that_ title, it would be the fourth born.

I answered,

"Noelle?"

Aria laughed,

"Yeah."

Embry smiled slightly.

Then I thought maybe she meant that Noelle was special,

"I'm a princess too," I told her, reminding her that I was also important. She laughed again.

"I mean that she _ac_ts like a princess. The one who thinks she is a princess."

I laughed.

_Silly Noelle. _

I noticed Aria's leg reach under the table to kick Embry. She was trying to get his attention. He looked up at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"This morning," he said kind quietly.

"Oh." I think Aria didn't know what to do.

_This morning?_

_Oh, right._ This morning Aria told a very long story during breakfast about a fun time she once had with Charles.

Only me, Aria, Ani, Kathleen, Tasha, and Deanna were there. _So how does he know about that?_

"What happened this morning?" I whispered to Aria.

"I talked about Charles. Embry doesn't like Charles," she whispered back. Embry heard her.

"How does he know about that?" I asked.

"Um, Deanna told him," she explained to me.

"Ohhh. I think he's really sad," I told her, talking about Embry.

"I know." We were still whispering even though it was obvious he was listening.

"You're a bad girlfriend," I said, mostly kidding. But he did look really sad.

Aria stuck her tongue out at me,

"I know."

"Good."

Embry tilted his head further down and mumbled something.

"What was that?" Aria asked, "I can't understand mumble."

But I had heard what he said, so I know Aria did too. She was just making him say it louder because she wanted to make sure he meant it, I think. Maybe.

"You're not bad," he said again, kind of louder.

There was something weird about Embry and Aria. I don't think Embry likes her that much. They're going to break up soon.

Jennifer's POV

I was in a car with my two youngest daughters- my babies- and Collin. We had been shopping all morning and were just driving to the next store. I approach an intersection as the light turned red. I slowed down and stopped.

"Mommy, can I wear my new dress tomorrow?" Elise asked me from the backseats.

"Uh, yeah. As long as you don't get it dirty, you can."

Just then, a van swerved towards us from the intersection and ran into our van.

There was a jolt but otherwise it was just a little fender bender.

My eyes saw the faces of the people in the van. And then another car came crashing into them.

My heart raced as the familiar nightmare replayed out in front of me.

I saw my third oldest daughter in the passenger's side of the front side, covered in blood, crushed by the car.

I tried to run, tried to go help.

At first my legs wouldn't move. Then, I couldn't reach my daughter and called for help. No one offered assistance. People walked by, sat in the cars, or stood and stared, only watching me. Emotion of helplessness and aloneness overtook me.

I woke gasping.

Immediately, there was a knock on my bedroom door. I didn't move so there was a deep husky voice,

"Jenny?"

I held my breath,

_Who is in my house?_

I sighed in relief as I remembered that Collin had stayed late to finish the laundry for me.

"Come in, Collin," I said to him, sitting up in my bed.

Hesitantly, the door creaked open and Collin put one foot into my room. He didn't walk past the doorway, though. "What is it?" I asked after he just awkwardly looked at his feet.

"I-I heard you crying," he explained.

"Oh. Oh, I'm alright."

"Are you sure?" He seemed to really care.

"Yes. Thank you though, Collin."

He didn't leave yet, though.

"I…um. I just wanted to know-sorry…were you having a bad dream?"

By the time he had finished stumbling through his words, I had almost forgotten I had had a dream.

"Uhh- yes. Why? Did I say something about it in my sleep?"

Collin solemnly and shyly nodded,

"You,-um, mentioned your husband."

My face burned.

"He wasn't in my dream," I said quickly.

"Ok."

I took a small breath.

Maybe he _was_ in my dream. He was the aloneness.

I didn't want to admit- I didn't want to think about it, but I missed him.

Collin was still in my doorway.

"My husband left me once."

Collin looked up at now, listening very closely as I spoke, "He came back over a year later. I don't know what made him leave, really. We got into a fight about food. I don't know what he was even talking about. He rambled on about things that were bothering him in his head. Then he just stopped after lots of yelling and walked out. I thought he would come right back. But he didn't. Not until after awhile. I don't know what made him do that. I don't know at all, he's…"

"_Jennifer, I want you to have something." Bob pulled a piece of jewelry out of his pocket. It was a pearl-like piece that was pink and blue on a gold thread. "Keep it safe for me," he said. _

_I didn't know what he meant by 'safe,' but I was moved by his sweet gesture. _

"_Where is it from?" I had never seen anything like it before…_

"_It was passed down in my tribe."_

I looked at Collin,

"You should go home and get some rest. I'm sure you're mom would like you home."

Collin shook his head,

"I live with friends."

I found that very interesting. "Goodnight," he said, closing the door. "Sweet dreams," I barely heard him add afterwards, as he was walking away.

Collin's POV

I stepped past the living room, quietly making my way towards the stairs.

"Collin, is that you?" the words were followed by a long chain of coughs. I smelled his pipe burning.

"Hi, Pa." I stopped and walked into the living room instead.

"Did you have a good day?" He asked, squinting his eyes in my direction, his pipe touching his lips as he spoke.

"Yes, Pa. I had a good day."

"Good." The old man chuckled a little. I smiled.

"How's Brady?" I asked him.

He leaned his ear towards me,

"What was that?"

"How's Brady?" I said a lot louder.

"Oh, very good. Very good."

Sometimes I wonder if he would say 'very good' even if Brady was somewhere dying.

I smiled again anyways,

"Good."

We paused as he smoked his pipe for a moment. "I should be going to bed now. I need rest."

"You need what?"

"Rest. I need rest."

"Oh. Goodnight, Collin," he smiled warmly heartedly at me. "Night, Pa."

I patted the man on his shoulder and ascended the stairs. I stopped at the entrance of Brady and I's bedroom. I leaned against the wall and smiled at Brady's awkward, spread out position on his bed.

"You're such a fool," I said quietly to him in Quileute.

He was asleep and didn't hear me.

My eyes fell to the knife I kept under my bed.

It had been my father's. But I didn't keep it because of that. It just made me feel safer to have a good knife by me when I slept.

"_Dad?"_

"_Collin. How are you?"_

"_Mom died."_

"_What? Did she…get hurt?"_

"_No. Cancer."_

"_Oh. That's…How old are you now, son?"_

"_Thirteen."_

"_You know, you can live with me."_

"_I…you…what?"_

"_I have a-a family here. I'll come back to the rez and you can come live with me."_

"_For real?" You'd let me? You'd really want me to?_

"_Absolutely, Collin. Where are you staying?"_

"_At my friend's house. Brady."_

"_Alright. Give me a couple months to get out there and you can move in. Go ahead and start packing."_

_I suddenly felt ecstatic._

"_Thanks, Dad!" _

**A/N:** alright. so what's ahead in the plot: More Noelle and Josh. More Collin. More Charles. Interesting things with Tasha and also with Ani. Not necessarily in that order.

And eventually also more Embry. And then more Elise and Kathleen and lots of Tasha.

Be prepared.

And very, very scared.

If you review, you'll be protected….Just saying…

Alright.

_-Ria M. Wri_te.


	27. And Paint the House! Again!

7eleven

_Chapter 27: "…and paint the house! Again!"_

Ani's POV:

"Hi! I need to tell you something!"

"Ugh! You just woke me up so it better be quick!"

"Oh, really? I just got home!"

"What were you doing? Partying?"

"No, patrol."

"Patrol? Whatever. Anyways cut to the chase 'cause I'm about to hang up in 5, 4, 3, 2-," I started counting down.

"Okay, anyways, so I need to talk to Noelle."

"Wait, I thought you just said that you needed to talk to me?"

"Yea. I needed you to hand the phone to Noelle."

"Okay, whatever, weirdo. But you might not be able to. _I'm_ not even usually awake at," I checked time, "3:45 in the morning! So yea, good luck with her!"

"Okay, sure, sure! Now can we hurry this up!"

"Sure… pushy," I mumbled to myself.

"Noelle! Noelle!" I started shaking her.

"_WHAT!_" she yelled angrily.

_WHAM_

"OW! SHOOT, NOELLE! YOU _PUNCHED_ ME WHEN YOU TURNED OVER! Keep your arms _in_!"

"Oh, sorry. Well that's what you get for waking me up so early."

"It's not me. Taylor wants to talk to you."

"Taylor?"

"Just grab the phone before he comes here himself."

"Okay…"

_Ow! That punch hurt!_ I thought as I walked up to my room.

"What? So you told Ani to give the phone to me so that you could give it to Josh, just so that he can tell me to give it to Dee, just so that Josh can give it to Seth?" I heard Noelle whisper-yelling, "_YUP!_ THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY! AHH! You guys are all crazy!"

"What are you people _doing_?" Dee asked me as she woke up, groggy-eyed, "I haven't slept for like two days, can you keep it down?"

"Tell Noelle that. Oh actually it's okay, she'll probably come stomping up the stairs to give you the phone in… 3, 2,-," I started counting down again.

Right on cue, Noelle came stomping up the stairs, with a scowl on her face. She gave Deanna the phone,

"It's _Seth_." Noelle sneered.

Right then, Aria decided to join the get-together,

"Oh my gosh! Guys, why are you being so loud?" She asked

"_Great! _Now it's a whole party!" I sarcastically joked.

"Hey, Ani?" Noelle turned to me, "You want to go down to the kitchen and get some food that will hopefully help us forget that we're the only normal ones in the house!" She overly smiled as if this was one of the happiest things we will ever do.

"Sure, Noelle!" I returned her overly joyful smile.

We linked arms and quietly skipped down the stairs, unfortunately, though, not before we heard Dee gush, "Hey, Seth," With a little giggle, into the phone.

We walked into the kitchen.

"Want some water?" I asked

"Sure. It's so annoying how Dee and Aria just go off and all the time and just talk to or about their boyfriends!"

"I know! I-"

Then my sentence was cut off by a high-pitched, squealing, noise coming from the window,

"What's that?" I asked Noelle anxiously.

"How am I supposed to know?"

Just then, we saw a huge body open the window and burst through.

"AHHHHH!" Noelle and I both screamed, hugging each other and staring at the body with horror struck eyes.

"Gosh guys, it's just me!" Seth said walking across the kitchen and agilely sweeping past us to the fridge.

"What are you doing here?" Noelle asked

"Not much. I'm just getting some food, scaring people. You know the usual. Hey, can you pass me that cup over there?"

I slowly handed it to him.

"What are you _really _doing here?" Noelle continued.

"Well, Dee asked me to come so…"

"_Deanna." _Noelle and I both sneered.

"Oh, and Embry should be here any minute." He added.

"_Aria." _We also sneered.

"Yea, so see you guys upstairs."

We quickly gave each other a look and followed Seth into to living room.

"Wait, I thought you said you were going upstairs?" I asked, confused.

"Yea, I did, didn't I? Guess I changed my mind."

"You know, you're not supposed to have grape juice, or any type of food, for that matter, in the living room," Noelle angrily told him.

"Oh."

"Well, are you going to move?"

"Nah. It's pretty comfortable here." He leaned back casually on the sofa.

"Okay, now you're acting like Josh."

We looked at each other again, trying to figure out how to get him to go away.

Noelle brainstormed first. She quietly said,

"Well, we can't pull him off the couch…"

"Yea, he's too hardcore for that," Seth smiled.

We rolled our eyes at him.

"Deanna's upstairs," I said hopefully.

Seth, of course had an excuse,

"She told me she'd tell me when she's ready."

"Well, is she ready now?"

"No."

"How do you know? You should probably check." I crossed my fingers mentally, but it didn't work.

"Nah, Embry's gonna be here soon anyway."

"Why?"

"Because Aria invited him. Duh."

Then Noelle really got mad,

"Okay, if you don't move in five seconds, I will call the police and have you arrested for breaking and entering," her teeth were clenched as she started to count to five.

Seth just smiled again,

"Aw, you wouldn't want to do that would you? Now, remember, I didn't break anything and I was allowed to enter."

"AH! Why are you acting so conceited?" Noelle put her hands on the sides of her head as she continued,

"DEANNA! ARIA!"

"NOELLE!" was the answering tone, though it wasn't Deanna or Aria. It was our mom.

She came walking down the stairs with her mean face on.

Noelle's POV:

"Noelle, what do you think you're doing?" Mom asked.

"Um… I was just calling Deanna and Aria." Mom looked like she was going to kill me.

"Well why are you doing that at 4:00 in the morning? I'm sure they're trying to sleep! But I don't think they're the only ones. I was also trying to sleep, and so were the twins and Tasha, and I'm sure the Cullens next door don't want to her screaming girl's while they're trying to sleep either!" Seth laughed at the last part my mom said. I just sent him a glare. My mom continued,

"So either finish what you're doing, or go to bed, but either way, keep. It. Down." And with that she just walked away.

"You're such a jerk, Seth."

"Me? What'd I do?"

"You were you, and that's enough of a reason."

Ani just stood there apparently trying to choose what she was going to do from here,

"You know, we never got our water…"

"Yea, let's do that," I answered her.

Right as I said that I heard my mom coming down again,

"Who's talking? I heard talking, and I want to know who it is." She was swishing an accusing finger around the room.

"Her! Her! It was completely her Mrs. Brentwood!" Seth was pointing my way, still smiling!

"What? No it wasn't!"

"Yes it was!" Seth continued.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yea-huh"

"Both of you stop it. NOW! Noelle, you finish what you're doing and go to bed, and in the morning, you're washing the house! Ani, you finish what _you're _doing, go upstairs, go to bed, and _you'll _be cleaning up after the dog, every morning this week! And you!" She pointed to Seth, "Well, you just go home!"

I turned to Seth,

"Ha ha!"

"Noelle," Ani started, "wrong thing to say."

Mom was angrier,

"Noelle, wash the house, wash the yard, do your homework, do Deanna's homework, do Ani's homework, do Aria's homework, you know what? Just do all the homework in the house, do my work, and paint the house! Again! And you," she turned to Seth again, "LEAVE!"

"Okay, okay." He put his hands up defensively and started to walk away. I couldn't hold back a very well hidden smirk.

"Wait, but mom," I continued. "I just painted the house, I don't know _how _I'm supposed to wash the house or yard, and why do I have to do everyone's homework? It was Seth's fault!"

"Do not fight with me just go to bed, unless you would like to paint the house now!"

I let my shoulders slump a little more dramatically then necessary, but hey, I _just _painted to house!

"Come on," Ani told me as she motioned downstairs.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"What do you mean, what am I doing? I'm following directions."

"No."

"'No, what?"

"No, I'm going for a walk. Are you coming or not?"

"Well…" she hesitated.

"You know you want to," I coaxed.

"Fine, but if anything happens, I am so blaming it on you."

"Great, let's go!"

As we walked away, I heard Ani mumble,

"I have _got _to stop giving into peer pressure."


	28. Guess What I Just Did, Aria?

7Eleven

Chapter 28: "Guess what I just did, Aria?"

Charles' POV

I cannot explain everything. But I can tell you that one of the younger Brentwood sisters, Tasha, I find greatly intriguing.

I have learned since my first observation of the girl that she was not the only sister present that hadn't known the secret of the shapeshifters.

One sister from the first set of twins-Ani, I believe her name is. She also has been in the dark about the skin-shifters.

I did not notice this sooner because of her company with the wolf-boy, Taylor. I assumed he had revealed the secret to her.

But I was mistaken in that assumption.

At the moment, I was being entirely insane.

You would think that a vampire would stay away from a place that held the bodies of many people the wolf-skin-shifters are _very_ protective and possessive over.

And yet, here I was, a vampire, hiding in a coat closet, in the living room of the Brentwood's house.

The shape-shifters were busy following my trail in the opposite direction towards Canada.

Well, actually, two had stayed behind. But they were not near the house. Though it was still really quite unlikely that I would get away unnoticed.

Aria was sitting on the floor with Tasha and the younger set of Brentwood twins, Elise and Kathleen.

She was trying to teach them a hand game, similar to patty-cake, except they were not cooperating.

Finally, Aria left to the kitchen with Elise and Kathleen, to get them water.

Tasha moved to the computer across the room from me. Her dirty blonde hair laid on her tan shoulders. Her hazel eyes stared into the screen as she rested her head in her palm, tapping her fingers lightly on her chin.

She spotted me, looking up from the screen to where I was now standing not far from next to her.

"Hi," she said, not very loudly. To look more human, I took in a breath before speaking.

"Hi," I mimicked. She smiled and slightly laughed at me, her eyes dancing in amusement.

_I amuse her_...

I smiled back,

"Are you Tasha?"

"Yeah…"

My eyes flickered to Aria as she and the two other sisters walked back in. She stopped, confused. Almost (but not quite) stunned.

Suddenly, my heart skipped a few beats as my eyes captured the sight of her necklace. The pearl-like appearance had my entire body anxious in less than seconds.

_The ashes!_

Myself staying unmoving, I could hear as someone crashed into the screen door in the room to my right-the office.

"Noelle! You just walked into the screen door!"

Two more sisters entered into the living room, laughing and one of them saying,

"Guess what I just did, Aria?"

Deanna's POV

_-Embry-that smell…_

_-Vampire!_

_-Worse?_

Embry-who was now standing alert, lifted his nose to the breeze and sniffed.

_-Charles. _He recognized. The energy from protectiveness filled us as we sprinted towards home.


	29. Tasha

7Eleven

Chapter 29: "Tasha…"

Tasha's POV

Noelle had walked into the screen door as her and Ani had been entering the house. They now stood, in-between the dining room and the living room, as did Aria, Elise, and Kathleen. All five were staring at the boy who knew my name. Particularly Aria and Noelle seemed apprehensive over his presence.

"Charles..." Aria whispered, sounding very scared. It was then I noticed her hand shaking. Noelle took in an equally shaky breath,

"Tasha…" she warned me, trying to get me to step closer to her and away from Charles. I looked back at the face of the boy, but his eyes were-freightingly- locked on Aria.

Something wasn't right.

My sisters had random, strange teenage boys over the house all the time, and I was used to not thinking twice about it.

Why was he any different?

I followed his eyes to where they were fixed on Aria-her neck. There hung a pearl-ish-looking necklace.

Something was definitely not right.

"Tasha…" this is time it was Elise. She for sure knew no more than I did, but she could tell that there was some sort of danger.

I slowly began to step towards my sisters, not that they were at all far from me.

Charles _did_ look different than the other guys. He wasn't a Native, for one thing. His skin was a magnificent pale color. I'd never seen such pretty pale before.

No, wait-I had. The Cullens.

He reminded me of them.

_But isn't Dee-Dee a friend of the Cullens?_

Nothing made sense.

But there were other things that didn't make sense too: the guys obsession with my sisters, the time I heard Josh say that Collin had broken an imprints wrist while Dee-Dee's wrist was hurt, Collin helping us out for no apparent reason, Dee-Dee looking different and cutting her hair, all of the guys being really strong.

At first I began to think it was some sort of teenager thing. I decided that maybe 'imprint' was a grown-up word I wasn't allowed to know yet. I thought maybe the guys and my sisters weird connection had to do with some sort of secret adults had.

But then I heard my mom on the phone with one of her friends. Mommy was just as puzzled by it all.

So I knew it was a secret _only_ my sisters and the guys knew.

I told my friend who lives closer to town, and she said that maybe they were part of some sort of 'cult.'

She told me cults are things that bad teenagers do when they get 'lost.'

I asked Mom about cults and she said something similar and wanted to know why I was asking. But I didn't want to explain so I quit asking her.

My sisters aren't bad teenagers, though. They aren't even that old, really. I don't think they'd join a 'cult.'

But then I began to think about all the little jokes they make to each other. They call the guys 'dogs.'

That's when I started thinking about all the Native stories Dad used to tell us. They were passed down from his ancestors. The Quileutes have a special shape shifting ability. The stories said that some change into wolves. I didn't think the stories were true, even when I was really little, but I liked to pretend I was a werewolf like some of the guys in the tribe. I always had Daddy put girl werewolves in the stories because I liked it better that way.

I thought of Deanna.

She was exactly how I imagined a girl werewolf would be. Strong, muscular, tall, very tan, short hair. In a way, she had become my idol.

_So if the guys are werewolves and so is Deanna…_

One day, back in California, I had gotten a note from a boy who lived on our street. He wrote that I was pretty and that he was too shy to tell me in real life but he wanted me to be his girlfriend. I ignored the note, of course, but then I started asking Dad who the werewolves would date.

He said they would date normal people. I asked him how they could do that with the secret. Then he told me that they would find one person who they would love too much and be allowed to tell everything to.

If you had seen the way the guys fall over my sisters, you would agree they fit the description 'love too much.'  
Finally something in my brain _clicked_.

Werewolves were meant to protect against the Cold Ones.

_Charles…_

A second after I had stepped near my sisters, Charles sprung towards Aria. At the same instance, a horrible growling sound came along with two gigantic wolves-one of which attacked Charles. It was hard to see it happened so fast, but Aria was uninjured.

The other wolf joined in attacking Charles, who had managed to get out of the first wolf's claws. A moment later and Charles was gone.


	30. Ani, LISTEN!

7Eleven

Chapter 30: "Ani, LISTEN!"

Ani's POV

"He's pretty badly injured, at least," Embry was making an attempt to improve his mood.

"Yes, he is," Deanna quickly complied.

My head was spinning. Noelle was with Elise and Kathleen, still trying to comfort them.

Aria was with Embry, who has been asking her millions of questions about Charles' appearance.

Tasha was just watching Aria, Deanna, and Embry. She didn't look as confused and disturbed as I was.

I was currently holding back my screaming because I was just _too_ freaked out.

And I was shaking. My entire body had the jitters as if I was freezing. Everyone was too caught up in something else to notice or do anything about me.

After the wolves had left running after Charles, Aria started crying and wouldn't talk to anyone. I was freaking out at that point and had to sit down and take deep breaths to calm myself down. I'm still sitting. Tasha tried to help Noelle with Elise and Kathleen-who were scared sick. But Noelle shooed her away after a minute.

Then Deanna and Embry had come in.

Aria had stopped crying then.

"If only we could figure out exactly why he was here," Deanna said.

Aria shook her head,

"He just tried to attack me-…, he didn't attack… anyone else-, He just-" She didn't seem to know what to say.

Deanna looked scared,

"Is it possible he really was just trying to kill you?" she whispered.

Wrong thing to say. Embry started shaking. Badly.

Aria moved away from him, looking pale.

Deanna put a hand on his shoulder, looking like she wanted to calm him down.

"His scent is _all over_!" He shouted.

Suddenly, he sort of exploded into a mess of fur.

I screamed.

"THE WOLVES! OH MY GOSH! YOU GUYS ARE THE WOLVES! AHHHH!"

Deanna looked to me, not really with any sort of expression on her face at all. She looked at me, then looked back to Embry, trying to calm him down still.

Tasha was watching me now.

Noelle shot me a wide-eyed look and tried to bring the little twins upstairs.

Aria just covered her face.

Then in through the door came no other than Josh.

He immediately tried to calm down Embry too.

"AHHHH! SOMEONE EXPLAIN NOW!"

Josh gave me the same, blank look Deanna had and then found Noelle in the kitchen. He helped her with Elise and Kathleen.

"OH MY GOSH GUYS SERIOUSLY SOMEONE PLEASE! OH MY GOSH!"

"Ani, Ani! It's okay!" Tasha said to me, now standing next to me. I realized I had stood up from my chair.

"IT IS OBVIOUSLY NOT OKAY!"

"Ani, LISTEN!" Tasha grabbed my arm and made me look at her. "They are werewolves. Like in Dad's stories."

"WHAT? THAT'S SO IMPOSSIBLE IT'S STUPID THOSE GUYS ARE JUST-"

"_LIS_TEN!" She stomped on my foot this time.

"AH! Okay! Sorry! What do you just expect me to stand here and think that Dad was telling the truth!"

"Yes! Now, listen, Charles is a vampire and Embry and Deanna were protecting Aria from him. All of the guys are werewolves. Nod if you understand me."

I slowly nodded.

"But-"

"Shh!" Tasha wouldn't let me speak again.

"No! But, AHHH!" I couldn't help it.

Aria took her face out of her hands and Noelle left the twins with Josh. Deanna joined me too.

I could see that they all were very busy in their heads, trying to deal with whatever was going on exactly.

"Ani,-"

I cut Aria off,

"How does TASHA know all this but _I_ don't! I thought we were close!" I meant the last part mostly to Noelle and my _twin_, Deanna.

Tasha was looking at our sisters in a sort of cautious manner.

"You figured it out?" Deanna asked her. Tasha nodded,

"Yeah."

"When?" Noelle demanded.

Tasha motioned to Embry,

"That kind of gave it away for good but you guys weren't exactly _covert_ about everything."

"What does 'covert' mean?" Noelle asked quietly to Deanna and Aria.

Deanna just laughed.

"The reason we couldn't tell you was because it's a huge, really important secret. It's not like we had a choice!" Aria told me.

"Oh yeah? Well then how come _you_ guys could all know!"

"Because we three had guys _imprin_t on us!"

"You're such a liar! What kind of word is 'imprint' anyways!"

"Ugh! It means they are supposed to be with us! It's a werewolf thing and it's really powerful so they are allowed to share the secret with us!"

"But not me?"

"Because no one imprinted on you!"

My heart rate picked up.

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN! I SHOULD OF EXPECTED THAT! OF COURSE YOU GUYS GET ALL OF THE GUYS! JUST LIKE BACK IN CALIFORNIA! YOU GUYS ARE SOOOO CONCEITED, YOU KNOW THAT?1? THE SECOND YOU GUYS GET HERE YOU HAVE TO GO AFTER THE FIRST GUY YOU SEE BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT THEY'LL LIKE YOU, BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS DO! WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M DONE! YOU GUYS ALWAYS THINK THAT I'M THE DORK IN THE GROUP AND IT'S NOT _COOL ENOUGH _TO TELL ME STUFF! WELL, I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT SOMEONE THAT'S SELF-CENTERED LIKE YOU WILL BE A _LOT_ LESS SUCCESFULL IN LIFE THAN SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT OHER STUFF IN LIFE THAN JUST BOYS!"

"Ani, it's not like that!" Noelle reached for my arm.

I pushed her away,

"Get off me."

After that I stood in the furthest corner of the room away from everyone, watching as them continue talking.

_No one ever cares about me! They only care about the pretty ones- as usual! Well, I'm going to show them that _NOTHING'S _about them anymore! They have to learn their lesson! I mean they've had boys want them all their life and they expect me _not _to be mad when they talk about the whole imprinting thing! Now, to teach them a lesson…just how I do it?_

Right then I saw Aria put hernecklace on the table next to me. A great thought came to my mind. Aria liked that necklace a lot, and Embry was always staring at it. Maybe it'd be petty and childish to use stealing her possessions as revenge, but everyone was just _so concerned_ about protecting her from Charles that I wanted to steal _some_thing.

At first I was scared that she wouldn't leave. Luckily though, Embry called her.

For a moment I wondered why he had made her take it off, but little things like that don't matter.

_I want_ _to have what they have_

My warm hand grabbed the cool pearl. I held it up and for a moment admired its particular beauty.

Then I looked back towards my sisters and the guys-more were joining now- and engulfed the necklace in a fist, carrying it away knowing no one would see.

* * *

Thanks for reading =) remember to review =)  
Special thanks to Ani for this chapter.


	31. You Got Your Wish

7Eleven

Chapter 31: "You Got Your Wish"

Charles POV

My interest in human relationships with skin-shifters is not random.

As is clear, vampires and the Quileute shapeshifters are natural enemies.

So, I wanted to get rid of their existence.

Seeing as there is one of me, and almost twenty of them, I once tried an indirect approach. My goal was: corrupt the lineage in a way that would effect the carrying of the gene-possibly _ending_the tribe's ability to shapeshift.

Sadly, I had to do this with very little information for getting too close to the tribe members would result in them shifting.

Which was the case for one member about a generation ago.

_Zachary._ He was the only one, though.

I used him to experiment and after I had seen that my plans were too risky, I left him broken in the woods and never found him again.

* * *

Analiese's POV

Opening the backdoor, I ran off my porch and jumped on to the grass.

It wasn't at all unbelievable that the guys were werewolves.

There had been so many things that I had seen and heard that pointed to it.

"And of course, my _sisters_ would lie to me about it. They all think they're so much more _special_ than me! So much _prettier_! They think they _deserve_ guys' attention! I can't believe it! Why can't someone start paying attention to ME!"

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

As I walked closer to the woods, I thought I heard footsteps behind me.

_Good. Someone actually cares enough to come after me. I'm not just gonna forgive any of them, though!_

Not turning around to see who it was, I ran into the woods. I headed left towards the Cullen's house.

"You got your wish."

My body froze as my head automatically turned towards the eerily friendly-sounding voice.

I would have screamed. But, if it makes any sense, I forgot to. It did not cross my mind.

He was crouching on a tree limb far above me.

Suddenly, he sprung down. "Someone's paying attention to you."

His eyes flickered towards my hand, then back up to my face. He smiled, kindly.

I hesitantly peeked down to my left hand.

I was gripping the necklace by the chain, the charm dangling below my palm.

He put his hands in his pockets and paced slowly in front of me, watching the ground mostly.

"Oh no," I whispered.

"Oh, yes. Don't worry, though. I don't plan on _eating_ you or anything."

There was a pause. "Then again, they must have caught my scent by now…What is _taking_ them so long?"

He turned away and stared at a tree for a moment. Then, turning back, he stepped towards me, "I'll just snack on you."

He crouched down like he was about to leap at me, pausing for some strange reason.

"Drink my blood instead! Feed on me instead!"

Tasha ran in front of me. She must have been the footsteps I had heard.

Charles loosened,

"What? No! I don't want you!"

Tasha tightened her hands into fists, thinking.

"Do it! You can't keep me alive! I'll run and tell everyone that it was you who hurt Ani!"

Charles simply re-focused his eyes on me, unaffected by Tasha's threat.

"Everyone will know it was him anyway!" I told Tasha.

Tasha took a deep breath,

" I'll tell the _human_ police! I'll-I'll tell them you were the one who murdered the girl in Forks!"

I felt like crying again. _How would that possibly concern him? He could just run away. Or kill them. _

Charles' POV

_Human police?_

Amanda.

She'll know it was me. She'd find out if I let Tasha live.

She'll learn I'm a murderer. _How can I go through with my plans if Amanda isn't willing to follow me?_

_Dammit._

_That is…if the police believe Tasha…_

"Ugh! You idiots! I can kill you _both_!"

I lunged towards them, sinking my teeth into Tasha's neck. Ani turned, trying to run. Frantically, I grabbed the necklace in her hand. The charm shaddered in my grip, the ashes spillingn into my palm. I smelled and heard the Cullens heading towards us. I quickly grabbed Ani with my other hand and the used the one the necklace had snapped in to cover her mouth. Hopefully Tasha won't scream either.

Ani's mouth was open and she inhaled in panic. I felt the ashes flying away, down her throat.

_Dammit!_

How could I return them now?

The Cullens approached too close and I dropped Tasha. I wanted to bring Ani with me, but I knew that I would be more passionately followed if I kept any prisoners.

I darted off just as the Cullen's were in sight.

In the distance, I heard a weird cracking mixed in with Tasha's tormented cries from the spreading venom.

_Ani?_


	32. Your Sisters!

7Eleven

Chapter 32: "…Your Sisters!"

Deanna's Point of View

The living room was crowded. There were eleven pack members, not counting myself, squished in with my sisters.

The buzz of deep voices talking was overwhelmed when a few musical words came into the house, along with Nessie's sweet scent.

"Dee, your sisters!"

The small, agile half-vampire girl was at my side in a second, reaching up and pressing her hand to my forehead. Jacob waited behind her as she showed me the image:

_Tasha's body was twisting and turning on the forest floor, a very fresh vampire bite on her neck was half-hidden by her dark blonde hair. My little sister cried in agony. Carlisle was standing over her, his attention split between Tasha and Ani. Ani was standing, her back was bent and loud, deep cracking sounds seemed to be coming from her bones-it almost was a much more eerie image of shape-shifting, but in slow motion. Behind them, the rest of the Cullens ran in the direction that Charles must have left. _

The image ended with Ani collapsing on to the ground, and Carlisle kneeling down to examine Tasha.

"Oh no!" I covered my mouth. I felt my body beginning to shake.

"What? What did she show you?" Sam put a hand on my shoulder, warning me not to dart off anywhere just yet.

Noelle stepped towards us, waiting to hear what was going on. Chris-a younger werewolf- was with Elise and Kathleen.

"The Cullens are after Charles," Jake announced. I saw that he and Nessie were holding hands. "He attacked two of the girls, just off in the woods back there," he nodded towards the woods.

"What are we waiting for?" Brady demanded, jumping out the front door and phasing.

"What girls?" Noelle asked, looking scared.

"Tasha and Ani," I said, shaking more now. Sam tightened his grip on me.

Seth moved next to me and took my hand.

Neither ceased my shaking, though.

Jake looked to Quil,

"Go with Brady to follow the Cullen's scent. It'd be nice if he didn't do anything stupid. Dee and I will be right behind you."

Brady's girlfriend, Audrine, had almost become Charles' meal. Brady would do anything to get a chance to tear Charles apart.

Quil was outside in a second. Josh and Taylor followed him. Sam let go of my shoulder.

"Embry and Leah, you can come with us too. Seth, go find Collin and fill him in." Jacob added.

Seth nodded and we were both phased in the front yard within the same moment. He padded off in the woods towards town and I ran to catch up with Embry and Leah. Nessie ran close behind me.

Jake ordered Paul and Jared (who were already in wolf form) to come along as well.

"_Jake! Please!"_ Katie was eager to join the chase.

"_Fine, Kate. But Nate and Kyle stay here."_

By now I had approached the spot in the woods that I had seen when Nessie showed me the image.

Embry, Quil, Brady, and Leah had already passed here. Jake shot passed me, catching up to them in no time.

As much as I wanted to hunt Charles, I couldn't run past where Carlisle and my two sisters were. Josh and Taylor had stopped too.

Carlisle was just lifting his head away from Tasha. Her convulsions were ending. I sniffed her and knew that her blood was clean. Ani was unconscious on the ground next to her, her body slowly twisting and cracking in the bizarre-est way. It frightened me.

Nessie knelt down to help Carlisle, placing Tasha's head in her lap.

Paul, Jared, and Katie were now almost with Jacob and the rest of the pack chasing Charles.

It was difficult for me to think, as there were eleven other voices in my head, not to mention that a good portion of my attention was devoted to Seth who was still trying to find Collin.

The weirdest thing about being in wolf form at the same time as Seth was that we both focused on each other, so sometimes I would find myself thinking about myself…in an indirect way. And vise versa. It was crazy.

"_I'm sorry_." Seth thought as I stared helplessly at my sisters.

Carlisle was now examining Ani.

"I've never seen this before. Not even a bite mark to be found." He mumbled.

"_What did Charles do to her?"_ Josh thought from where he stood next to me.

Taylor growled. Carlisle glanced anxiously at us. He caught my eyes and recognized me.

"Deanna-! Your poor sisters…I'm…" I could see he was overwhelmed with compassion. "Tasha will be alright," he told me. "I managed to suck all the venom out of her in time. But I have no idea what happened to Ani…"

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream of pain came from Ani. Carlisle turned his attention completely back to her.

My nose tickled. She smelled funny.

Elise's POV

Everyone was confusing me. No one was very good at telling us what happened. Kathleen and I were in our room with Noelle and a guy named Chris.

He was very funny. He kept on making fun of his friend, Alan.

He said Alan is really nerdy and knows too much.

_Sam is here, too, but he's downstairs. So is Aria. _

Sam was the nice guy who told Kathleen and I the cool werewolf stories at a bonfire.

The only other person who would ever tell us those were our Dad. But he died.

_Noelle is looking very sad. _

"Noelley? Are you Awright?" I used my baby voice so I'd sound extra nice.

Noelle nodded, but then she started crying. I hugged her. Kathleen looked over at us from where Chris and her were playing checkers.

"Could you please tell us what happened already!" My twin sisters begged, exhausted from not understanding.

I just sat on Noelle's lap and tried to look as adorable and cute and innocent as I could.

Chris met Noelle's eyes.

"Um…" Noelle didn't know what to say.

"Where's Awria?" I asked.

"I'll go get her," Chris said, standing up to leave the room. Noelle and him were awkward talking to each other. She didn't really know him at all but he knew all sorts of things about us for some reason.

When Chris came back with Aria, Kathleen again demanded an explanation.

"Ok, well, some people can turn into wolves." Aria said.

Noelle shot her a look, but Aria just shrugged. "And Charles is a vampire. Werewolves protect humans from vampires. Vampires try to eat people."

Chris seemed lightly nervous that Aria had just said all that.

"Oh no!" Kathleen exclaimed, not sounded very worried but just dramatic.

"Vampires? Oh no! That's scary! Deanna's a werewolf?"

"Mhm," Aria nodded. Her eyes looked all red from crying and worrying too.

"So what are you so sad about?" I asked Noelle in a sweet voice.

"Ani and Tasha got hurt by the vampire," Noelle said, her voice all funny from crying.

"What!" Kathleen and I both looked at each other as we said this. "What's gonna happen? Will they be ok?" I asked.

Aria nodded,

"Yup. They'll be fine."

I think she was lying to me.

"What happened?" Kathleen asked.

"We don't know." Aria said, leaving the room.

"Aria, where are you going?" I called after her.

I listened as she walked down the stairs and into the bathroom near the laundry room.


	33. Please, Be More Vague

_7Eleven _

Chapter 33: "Please, be more vague."

Aria's POV

I had only been in the cupboard a minute or two when I heard a loud knocking on the bathroom door.

"Aria, I know you're in there," Sam's deep voice warned.

Caught off guard, I didn't move.

_CLICK_

The lock on the doorknob snapped and Sam entered the bathroom.

I heard the cupboard open and saw him sticking his head into the small storage space below.

He sighed. "I can't fit into this little crawl space so would you just stop playing games and get down here? This is not a time to seclude yourself."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"I have to discuss Charles with you. Oh, and in the future, don't tell Embry anything you're trying to keep a secret."

"I wish you guys would mind your own thoughts."

Sam laughed,

"Actually, he told us about this the last time he had been drinking."

"Awesome."

My sarcastic comment wasn't an accurate reflection of my emotions. As I climbed out of the cupboard, my face reddened.

I didn't want to acknowledge Embry's problems with anyone.

I followed Sam into the living room. Alan was there waiting for us on the couch.

He looked at me but didn't say anything to us.

"Alan and I have been trying to figure out something."

"Please, be more vague."

I could tell Sam was getting annoyed with my sarcasm.

"With so many of us right here, how could we have not sensed Charles' in the woods so close by?"

"It's impossible," Alan said, "Completely improbable."

I shrugged,

"I don't know anything about Charles as far as him being a vampire."

"Yes but you know what he's like. His…_personality._"

I don't think Sam liked using words that made vampires sound human.

"Um. Yeah…how does that help?"

"We need to know his most dominant traits." Alan said.

"Vampires have a tendency to be especially good at things that are-_were _ a big part of their character."

"Okay. Um. I still don't know how to help you."

I half expected Alan to roll his eyes at me for being stupid, but he seemed to be trying to be kind to me. I wondered why.

"Tell us something about what he's like," he said.

Sam nodded.

"Uh. But I don't know anything that would help you with not sensing him-"

"_We'll_ worry about that part. Just talk." Sam told me.

I tried not to be as sarcastic as I wanted to be,

"He is a nice guy. I thought. I don't know, are you sure this will help?"

"Keep going."

"…Well I didn't know him _that_ well. My friend Amanda goes to school with him. She would always complain about how he's evasive. I know that he's really smart. But he talks different, like he's from a different era or something."

"That's just because he _is_," Alan explained.

"Yeah, well. I don't know."

Sam looked at Alan and nodded,

"You told us enough. Maybe he's just good at hiding."

I laughed. Alan looked at me weird.

"Sorry, Amanda just always used to call him a hermit because he could never hang out. Reminded me of that."

Alan and Sam froze up, their faces holding serious expressions. I realized they were listening to something.

Sam looked to Alan,

"Go."

Alan darted out the door. Sam turned to me,

"Stay with your sisters in the house."

"What? Why? What happened?"

"Just listen to me."

And with that, Sam ran out the front door.

Too afraid to look to see what they were after, I hurried to the bedroom my sisters were in.

Noelle and the twins stood looking out the window.

"Where's Chris? What's going on?" I asked them, moving quickly to the window.

Noelle looked nervous,

"I don't know, he just leapt out the window!"

As she spoke, a parade of the pack and the Cullens approached into our front yard, the wolves growling and snarling loudly. At first it was difficult to see what was going on in the middle of them, but when they stopped we had a clear view of Charles being restrained by two of the Cullens.

Everyone's attention was on him.

"Oh my God."

Noelle covered her mouth,

"What are they going to do to him?"

I didn't dare to look at Elise and Kathleen's expressions.

"Should we get them away from it?" I asked Noelle, meaning Elise and Kathleen.

"We can't _not_ watch this!" She said, her eyes searching the pack. Maybe she was looking for Josh. I didn't see Embry; I was still trying to be obedient of Sam's order.

"Noelle, we have to move!"

"No!"

From the corner of my eye I saw the Cullens start a fire.

"Oh no," I said so quietly I almost couldn't hear it myself.

Quickly, I rushed down the stairs and out the front door, my conscious no longer debating whether or not I should listen to Sam.

Noelle was right after me, with the twins.

No one seemed to move their focus towards us. In fact, a few heads turned the opposite way, into the street.

A second later my mom's car stopped in front of the house. Collin was driving. He got of the car with my mom, who was covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide and darting everywhere, trying to figure out how to comprehend what was going on.

To my surprise, Collin did not phase.

Seth also emerged from the vehicle. He phased, but at least it was behind my mom's view.

Some sort of conversation was taking place between the pack, I could tell by the way their eyes would occasionally meet and their growls would get louder.

The Cullens were waiting for them to make some sort of decision. I wondered why they even brought Charles back here.

Although I had been avoiding it, I looked at red-eyed vampire.

He was still struggling to get free, not once stopping.

Even if the two holding him _did_ let go, he was surrounded by even more vampires and almost twenty werewolves.

The front yard was crowded. Noelle and I were close enough to touch the werewolves. The twins were still in the doorway, looking frightened. I heard them talking to each other, trying to figure out how they could get to Mom through all of the wolves.

One wolf moved even closer to me, their fur brushed against me.

Looking up, I realized it was Embry. I spotted Josh very close to Noelle as well.

Ani and Tasha were no where to be seen.

It seemed a decision had been made as the two vampires moved Charles closer to the fire. His struggling increased and I noticed many bite marks and pieces of his flesh were already missing.

"STOP! STOP!"

I didn't hear the screaming until the wolves had hushed their growling, all attention moving towards the woods.

Tasha had joined us, Nessie next to her.

I gasped as I saw her neck was bleeding.

In her hand she grasped a necklace…_my_ necklace!

She was holding as high above her head as she could, and she screamed, "Stop! Stop!" desperately.

The atmosphere tensed.

"No! He just wanted this!" Tasha bellowed.

The crackling of the blazing fire was only noise for a moment.

The necklace was broken, only the top part of the pearl remaining. I didn't even recognize it at first.

Oddly, the top part was hollow.

_Maybe it wasn't a pearl after all._

"It's true. He wanted it." A vampire with bronze hair announced. I remembered his name to be Edward.

"It's ashes!" Collin exclaimed, "My father used to tell me about it. That necklace was filled with ashes. But it was supposed to be passed down only to werewolves…."

"My husband gave me that necklace." Mom told him, her voice shaking from the shock of everything. Collin raised his eyebrows.

"Ani stole this from Aria." Tasha explained.

_Oh my God. Charles attacked Ani because of that necklace!_

"I have to find her," I said, turning towards the woods. In an instant, Embry was in front of me, blocking my path. "I have to help her! What's the danger? You have him already!"

Embry bowed his head and dashed into the woods. Taking a deep breath, I headed in after him.

**Yup. Reviews are nice. Please and thank you. **


	34. Okay, You Win, Let's go

_7Eleven_

Chapter 34: "Okay, you win, let's go."

Aria's POV

Leaves crinkled under my feet. I hugged myself, trying to keep warm as a chilly wind ran though the trees.

I didn't know where exactly Embry was but he had to have been close by.

Trying to locate where my sister would be, I scanned the wooded area.

Not far, Dr. Cullen (I believe his name is Carlo or something,) crouched next Ani. She was entirely unconscious. Swallowing my panic, I made my way towards them.

"Stop, Aria…" Embry was next to me, in his human form.

I turned my head towards him,

"What's the problem, Embry?" My voice wasn't exactly sincere.

What kept me from moving closer, however, was the genuinely worried look on his face. He cautiously moved his eyes to Ani and back to me,

"She's changed."

"What?"

"She's not…"

I spun around, turning my back to him, staring at my sister and Dr. Cullen,

"Are you telling me she's not human?"

My voice was sporting a vicious tone. I let my eyes glare at him.

His face was still concerning, and his voice soft and cautious;

"She doesn't seem like it."

Embry looked scared. Really scared.

My defensiveness vanished.

"Is she…alive?"

Embry just looked at me for a moment, his eyes seeming almost distant.

"I…don't know. She smells like…"

My eyes widened as I realized what he was trying to say.

_Ani…a…vampire?_

"But…!" I had no logic to back up my desperate objection.

"Could you…Let's not…go over to her?"

_Embry's scared of her_.

"I…" I had nothing to say. Zombie-like, I stepped closure towards her and Dr. Cullen.

This time, Embry grabbed my arm.

"Aria…"

"Please, Embry. She can't be…"

"Aria, I know more about this than you do. I can't just let walk up to something that will want to kill you! We shouldn't even be this close. Let's go back."

"…No. She's not even conscious right now. We have to..._I_ have to, rather."

"Aria…"

Embry didn't know how to argue with me about this.

I pulled my arm away and continued walking.

Embry paused for a second, and then slowly followed.

Dr. Cullen turned towards us when we were close enough for me to hear him talking at a normal volume.

"Is she okay?" I asked, noticing Ani's strange skin complexion. A lot of it looked usual, but patches seemed paler and smoother.

Embry held his breath.

Dr. Cullen shook his head,

"She seems fine. But some sort of transformation happened to her that I do not know."

"She smells-" Embry began, still holding his breath.

"I know. Vampire," Dr. Cullen finished for him, "It's beyond my knowledge how this occurred."

A split second later, Embry's arm was in front of me, blocking me from my sister.

I looked at him inquiringly.

"Something's happening." He explained.

Dr. Cullen watched Ani carefully as she opened her eyes and sat up.

There _was_ something un-human about her.

Embry tensed, stepping away and pushing me back with him.

Ani didn't blink. She turned, perfectly alert, to peer at all of us.

When she saw Embry and I, she sprung to her feet.

Embry growled.

It looked as if Ani was about to run towards us.

"Okay, you win, let's go," I panicked.

Embry and I were running away before the next second.

Taylor's POV

The number of loud voices in my head was overwhelming. Trying to find Embry and Aria (who must be with Ani by now,) I entered the woods.

My ears twitched. Turning towards the sounds, I saw Embry and Aria dashing through the trees (Embry obviously carrying Aria.) I stood in shock as I saw Ani chase after them, a weird scent traveling with her.


	35. It's Like Number 1, But Twice

100 reviews =)

Thank you!

_7Eleven_

Chapter 35: "It's Like Number 1, But Twice."

Analiese's POV

The smell of Embry and Aria faded further and further away. Something else dog-like tickled my nose close by.

Dr. Cullen stood with me, holding my arms behind my back. His grip was a little tighter than comfortable.

"Try to control your thirst, please, … Miss Brentwood."

_What…"thirst" is he talking about? I didn't run all that much! _

"I'm Analiese." I told him, finding it weird that he called me "Miss Brentwood." I looked away from where Embry and Aria had run.

"I thought it was Ani that they call you?" Dr. Cullen asked, seeming to relax for some reason.

"Yeah. You can call me either one. I don't care. My family calls me 'Ani' as a nickname."

"Okay, Ani, do you mind walking back towards that way?" Dr. Cullen asked, pointing in the opposite direction of where Aria and Embry had headed.

"Sure…Dr. Cullen?"

"My family calls me Carlisle." He smiled.

_He seems so nice._

"Why were Embry and Aria running away from me?"

He had let go of my arms by now and was cautiously examining me as we walked.

"You scared them."

"W-ha..? No I didn't!"

"Ani, you looked as if you were going to attack them. Vampires run after people like that when they are hunting. Embry knew that. And he could smell that you are different."

"I am not different!" Anger and frustration quickly grew in me. I tried to remember what happened before I saw them.

My pace came to a halt as I slowly remembered something about Charles and Tasha.

"…Do you know what happened to you, Ani?" Carlisle asked me, watching me closely as I stood, frozen.

"He bit Tasha! Where's Tasha?"

"She's fine. Don't worry about her. What happened to _you_?"

"Don't tell me that! Seriously, what happened to her?"

"She's with your family and the others. She recovered remarkably fast. I sucked the venom from the bite back out. She's absolutely fine."

Trying to make sense of everything, I began to calm myself down.

"…Did he bite you?"

I shook my head,

"No. He tried to get a necklace I was holding and it broke when I grabbed it. There was something inside-like sand or bits of leaves, or dirt- that I accidently breathed in when he covered my mouth with his hand."

"He wanted you to breathe it in?"

"No. He was covering my mouth to keep me from screaming."

Carlisle nodded, seeming deep in thought.

I looked at my hands, everything seemed clearer for some reason. I could see almost every line of my hands. But there was something odd about my skin. Something new.

I looked pale. Only small patches, but it was still visible. Some parts were just paler than my normal tan skin tone.

When we got to the Cullen house, Carlisle showed me to a room with a bed, saying I should take a nap. He also asked me how my throat was. I told him fine.

But actually, it sort of itches.

Josh's POV

"_He killed a girl in Forks!"_

"_Murderer!"_

"_Why the hell are we waiting? Rip him apart already!"_

The suspense was killing the pack.

I stood defensively in front of Noelle, watching as the Cullens took their time in the execution. The bronze-haired one kept translating between us and them.

The hesitation was out of fear that we would be acting to haste. We still didn't know what his gain would be in getting the vampire ashes from the necklace.

But we _did_ know he should be killed.

Things were getting out of hand.

Mrs. Brentwood was trying to understand what was going on. Noelle was watching in mostly curiosity, I think. Tasha was still trying to play devil advocate. Several werewolves had growled at her to back off, including Dee. Aria and Embry had just returned, followed by Taylor who had been in his wolf form when he saw Ani.

But none of us were thinking much of that right now.

Charles words had been drowned out most of the time, but now I could hear him,

"The little girl's right! I just wanted the necklace! No harm was meant to the Brentwoods!"

Panic arose as the sound of a large car coming towards the yard reached all of our ears.

We were all too obvious.

The Cullens darted to the woods, letting go of Charles.

None of us thought much of it, as we were surrounding him still.

Not willing to back off, we quickly resolved to attack him and drag him into the woods, hopefully avoiding too much attention from whoever was in the van.

_Where's the bloodsucker?_

Missing suddenly from our vision, it was as if Charles had vanished.

The large van rolled by.

Noelle's POV

A couple hours later, Josh, Collin and I were in the house trying to explain everything to my mom.

She believed us, having seen enough proof of it all today.

"Jenny, the guys only want to protect your daughters. I assure you they've been great friends and have had no bad influence over them." Collin told Mom.

I raised my eyebrows at Josh.

He rolled his eyes,

"You know you love us."

"I have to. The only thing to do around here is deal with all of your drama."

"Oh yeah? What did you do back at home Miss 'Everyone-besides-me-is-so-boring'?"

"I played soccer. And I was awesome at it."

"Soccer?"

"Yup. The bad thing was I was on the same team as Deanna."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She was number 7 and I was number 11."

"Cool."

"Yeah. You can tell I was more awesome because _I_ was 11."

"….How does that make you more awesome?"

"It's like number 1, but twice."

Josh laughed,

"You're _still_ more awesome."

I smiled.

"Hey!" Deanna heard us from across the room.

I then realized my mom was staring at us, having listened to the entire conversation.

"Excuse me; do you like my daughter, Noelle, here?" My mom asked Josh.

Josh smirked, knowing he was in trouble,

"Yes I do, Ma'am."

Collin rolled his eyes.

"My girls don't date," She warned Josh.

Seth failed at holding back a laugh.

She looked at him,  
"What? What haven't you all been telling me?"

She then spotted Aria and Embry sitting together on the couch. They quickly let go of each others hands.

Mom furrowed her eyebrows.

She looked between Seth and Deanna, obviously noting that there was something between _them_, too, even though they were standing across the room from one another.

"Hey…" She wasn't mad, but she gave us all a suspicious look. "Aria?"

"Yes, Mom?"

"Are you dating that guy sitting next to you?"

"No." Aria answered, her face turning red.

_She's such an awful liar._

Mom gave her another look, suspicious. "Okay, maybe a little," Aria admitted.

"What? Aria! How dare you not tell me!"

Deanna was hiding her laughter.

"Sorry, Mrs. Brentwood," Embry apologized.

"Well, geez, don't single Aria out!" Seth exclaimed, "Deanna and I have been dating too!"

"Deanna!" Mom exclaimed.

"I am mostly _definitely _NOT dating Noelle, Mrs. Brentwood, don't you worry about that!" Josh told her.

"Noelle!"

I think Mom was genuinely upset with me. "What about Ani? Is she dating anyone?"

"Only in Taylor's dreams," Josh mumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear. Seth and Embry laughed.

_Too bad Taylor's not here._

"Atleast she's a good girl!" We had already told her that she was with the Cullens.

"Mom, Elise and Kathleen and I aren't dating anyone yet either," Tasha told her, joining us from the kitchen. A large band-aid was on her neck.

"Good. Don't follow your bad sisters' examples."

"Oh Noelle, you're _so_ bad," Josh said to me, wiggling his eyebrows.

Mom heard him,

"Excuse me? What did you just say, Josh?"

Josh wiped the smirk off his face,

"You're right. Dating is bad. Tasha, Elise, Kathleen, be like Ani."

_I don't think Mom will like Josh anymore…_


	36. Only For You, Joshy

_7Eleven_

Chapter 36: "Only For You, Joshy"

Josh's POV

"Ok, because some of you have trouble staying focused-"

"Yeah, _Jared_," Paul cut off Sam, remembering how often Jared used to skip out on werewolf duties to instead spend time with his imprint, Kim.

"Jared isn't actually who I'm concerned about," Sam said, letting his eyes rest on me. I looked at Taylor, knowing it was the Brentwood girls who Sam believed were too distracting. Taylor bit his lip, we were in trouble.

Crowded in Sam's living room was the entire pack, minus Jacob. This is one of those meetings that you have to actually show up to otherwise Sam will make your life hell.

Sometimes I forget Jacob's even Alpha. Nowadays he let's Sam take over pretty often. Sam's not actually even second in command, Leah is. But to be honest, we all usually listen to him more than Leah since neither she nor Jacob will use their alpha voice anyway.

Jacob joined us then. He jogged in, finding a place to stand in-between Sam and the couch. Leah sat on the couch, next to Seth and Dee. I sat on the ground near the couch. We were pretty squished in the room.

Sam quickly told Jacob he hadn't said anything yet and Jacob clapped his hands together, ready to explain whatever was going on .  
"So, in order to optimize our protection abilities and efficiently use all of us equally-except Leah and I who obviously will be running everything- we've done some organizing of the patrol times. In other words, I'm assigning everyone shifts."

A few grumbles followed his words. Leah shot us all 'a look',

"Guys, come on. Yesterday _all of us_ combined couldn't even keep a bloodsucker in place. That means _everyone's_ responsible for working harder and tracking him down once and for all!"

Seth showed absolute respect for his older sister's authority, Dee following suit. Some of us still didn't want to new rules, though.

"Just a few hours each a day. It's not going to ruin your lives." Jacob assured us.

"This should have been done awhile ago if you ask me," Sam added.

Jacob drew in the breath,

"Ok, listen up, guys. No debating these times. They're final, got it?"

A few nodded, others verbally agreed. Some of the really young ones like Nate and Kyle still weren't acting too compliant, though.

"Alright, the first few hours are from 3 am to 7 am, that's going to be Nate, Kyle, and Collin."

"What? That early?" Kyle whined.

"It's early enough that you don't miss any school," Jacob explained, "After that, from 7 am to 11 am, Embry, Quil, and I will take over."

I heard Collin mumble to Brady,

"Why the hell am I stuck with two of the youngest?"

Brady laughed,

"Dude, you're like, babysitting."

"Yeah. Because I don't do enough of that at the Brentwoods,'" Collin rolled his eyes, sarcastic.

I noticed Dee send him a look.

Brady noticed too,

"Seth knows exactly what you mean, Collin," he smirked. Dee's face turned quickly to an insulted expression.

"Excuse me?" Seth didn't look too happy.

"What? You're like almost seventeen and she's thirteen!"

"It's perfectly normal," Seth objected.

Leah looked at him and Dee,

"I don't know. She is sorta young, Seth."

Dee was definitely not enjoying the conversation.

Jacob was watching sort of annoyed, but he didn't say anything.

"Leah!" Seth didn't like her joining in.

"See, it _is_ like babysitting," Brady told him.

"Guys, there's the same age difference between Aria and I and Quil and Jacob are like _decades_ apart from their imprints. Plus, Brady, what the hell are you talking about? You're like four years younger than Audrine!"

Brady laughed,

"So? It's hot when the chick's older."

Everyone was commenting and laughing at this point.

"Hey!" Jacob's deep voice silenced us all. He gave us a stern look and went back to listing the shifts, "11 am to 3 pm: Sam, Jared, and Paul. 3pm to 7pm: Taylor, Chris, and Leah. 7pm to 11pm: Katie, Seth, and Dee-"

"Ooooh, looky looky! A group of all girls!" Quil teased.

Jacob cleared his throat,

"11pm to 3 am-"

"Hot stuff, right? Maybe you can join us if you're not too busy," Seth winked back at Quil. Jacob rolled his eyes,

"Josh, Alan, and Brady."

I looked over to Brady, surprised that he had been put with me. Alan reached over and high fived me.

"We finally get to hang out again," he said. I smiled,

"You betcha! Like good ol' days. Minus Taylor…" I looked across the room at Taylor, "We'll miss ya, hottie."

Taylor pretended to wipe a tear from his cheek,

"I don't know what I'll do without your hot body and Alan's amazing math skills."

"It's okay, I know you'll really only miss my hot body," I assured him, jokingly.

Alan snickered,

"Hey, math is sexy."

I looked at him like he had four eyes,

"Who the hell told you _that_?"

Alan pointed back to Taylor,

"That handsome fellow."

I pretended to whisper only to Alan,

"Don't make eye contact with that guy. He's a stalker. He keeps saying that he likes my hot body. I try to tell him I don't swing like that but he doesn't get the hint."

Alan looked at me like _I_ had four eyes. Then he turned to the rest of the pack, most of who were in their own conversations with each other,

"Is anyone else shocked that Josh just said he's _not_ gay?"

"Dude? You're not gay?" Quil pretended to act shocked, "Then why the freak were you checking me out earlier?"

I heard Paul laughing at us in the background. I stuck my tongue out at Quil,

"Oh, shut up. I imprinted on Noelle. Obviously I like girls."

"Wait, I thought you just said you're not gay?" Embry asked, looking confused.

"Yeah…"

"But you like girls?"

I paused for a second, realizing what he was suggesting.

"Only _three_ females in the pack, Emma. Oh wait, _four_ counting you."

"Four?" Brady exclaimed, joining in on the conversation. "There's Emma, Katie, and Leah…who's the _fourth_?"

"Dee," I laughed. Brady looked at Dee with a fake shocked expression similar to the one Quil had given me,

"You're a girl?"

"Watch it," Seth warned, "Dude, _I_ imprinted on her. Obviously she's a girl."

I copied Brady's expression back to Seth,

"You're not gay!"

Seth, playing along, allowed his face to fake-soften as he looked at me,

"Only for you, Joshy." He made a heart with his hands. I did the same. Dee laughed.

Jennifer's POV

The day had been going by slowly. A new wave of worried hit me every few minutes. _Where's Deanna? Is she going to get hurt? How's Ani? Is she okay?_

My anxiety had led me to be extra strict with Aria, Noelle, Tasha, Elise and Kathleen as far as school work this morning.

They were currently all working on reading. I occupied myself bye tidying up the living room.

Someone knocked on the door. My dog, Stacey, started barking. I shushed her and walked over to the door. Answering it, I faced a beautiful young girl. She smiled at me,

"Hello, Mrs. Brentwood. I am Nessie Cullen, from nextdoor. It is so nice to meet you." I smiled back,

"Oh, hello…" A fear took over my nerves as I remembered that the Cullens are vampires.

She smiled even wider,

"Can I come in for a moment?"

"Uh, sure."

"I thought I would come over to tell you about Analiese."

"Oh, yes, how is she? What's going on? Can I visit her?"

"Mrs. Brentwood, there is still a lot for you to learn about us- the werewolves and the vampires, I mean. One of those things is that sometimes we do not even know what is going on."

I bit my lip. "Analiese is fine right now. My grandfather, Dr. Cullen, has been paying his full attention to her. However, we are still not sure what has happened to her. Having said that, there is a theory."

"What is it?" A felt my heart beginning to race.

"While she and Tasha were with Charles in the woods, Charles broke the necklace from your husband and covered Analiese's mouth with the same hand. According to her, she accidently breathed in some of the ashes which were in the necklace; those ashes being the burnt remains of a vampire. Although it seems impossible, it has been feared by the Quileute tribe that vampires might put themselves back together again even when they have been burnt into ashes. That is why sometimes ashes are spread, or in this case, they kept some in a necklace. Why exactly Charles wanted them is still a mystery, but as for Analiese, it may be that somehow the ash became flesh again and combined with her anatomy, resulting in parts of her being inhuman. Dr. Cullen has not yet determined if this will have a negative effect on her human body or not."

"…Can I visit her?" I asked, trying to keep things in my head from getting confused. Nessie smiled again,

"I am sorry, but if she _is_ a little bit vampires she may thirst blood. Exposing you to her now would be very risky. I promise that you can see her soon."

Noelle's POV

After I had finished my school work for the day, Josh and I hung out at the beach. We were going to have Aria give us a ride there but seeing as we only have one car ever since the crash, Mom hasn't let Aria touch a moving vehicle. So we had to walk the entire way. For Josh, that's not so bad. For me, it's quite the hike.

After we spent an hour or two there, it started getting dark. Josh went and got a radio and a blanket from his house so we could sit down and listen to music.

We were both laughing as we finished singing like crazy people to a Lady Gaga song. Josh reached over and turned down the radio before the next song came on.

"Hey, Noelley?"

"What?"

"We don't have a song."

I felt sort of embarrassed,

"Yeah…"

"What one do you wanna make our song?" He asked me.

"Ummm I don't know."

"I was thinking Miley."

"Miley Cyrus?"

"Yeah. One of her songs."

I laughed,

"Okay. Which one?"

He shrugged,

"I don't know. How about "See You Again?""

I laughed,

"Sure."

"Yay!" Josh turned the music back up and soon we were singing along once again.

**So um, hey…I haven't been getting many reviews…Let me know if you don't like where the story has been going. Thanks. -RMW**


	37. This is So Weird

_7Eleven _

Chapter 37: "This is so weird…"

Deanna's POV

Readjusting to everything was actually quite nice. I had been sworn to secrecy for what had felt like eternity, but now even my mom knew about the pack. I could hardly believe I had once found it all so difficult to handle.

Mythical creatures and impossible truths became everyday life. Schedules and order left little room for frantic stress. Not even Charles was much of a concern anymore. We all relaxed in the idea of having scared him away for good. His scent was never caught, his pale complexion never spotted, his footsteps never heard.

Things were peaceful and simple.

The midday sun showed through the clouds of Forks. I sat in the Cullen's house. It was very bright seeing as there were so many windows.

I was supposed to see Ani today.

Finally Nessie descended the staircase,

"I have decided to come and keep you company," She smiled.

"What's taking so long?"

"Carlisle is talking with her."

"Ah."

"How's Seth? Why isn't he here?" Nessie has been excited ever since I imprinted on Seth and expects me to be with him at all times; like we're attached at the hip or something.

"I was just on patrol with him and Katie about an hour ago. He had to go meet with Jacob."

"So why isn't he here _now_?"

I laughed,

"Seriously Nessie, don't you have your own love life to entertain you?"

She shook her head,

"I can't believe that you both imprinted on each other yet you aren't glued to one another!"

"We wish we were, trust me. He'll show up once he's done talking to Jake."

"They'd still be talking by now?"

"I don't know, Jacob's _your_ friend! Shouldn't you know everything about him?" I teased her.

Nessie rolled her eyes,

"Jake's with me almost every second of the day. I _do_ know everything about him!"  
"Ok, then why is he taking so long?"

"Probably because _your_ boyfriend idolizes him and he can't get Seth to stop talking."

As soon as she finished her sentence, Jake and Seth approached the house.

We raced to the door.

"Jake!" Nessie exclaimed happily.

My view of them was cut off because I was hugging Seth.

"Have you seen her yet?" He asked me, holding my hand as we walked back over to the couch.

"No. It's taking forever."

Edward came downstairs then.

He spoke to Jacob and Nessie for a moment before his eyes moved towards the couch.

"How interesting…" He looked directly at Seth and I now.

"Hello, Mr. Cullen," I smiled politely. My interactions with Nessie's family had been minimal, so I wasn't sure if I could actually address him as Edward.

"Edward is fine," he smiled. Of course he wouldn't mind, he's lucky if a werewolf calls him anything short of "bloodsucker".

"What's interesting?" Nessie's mother, Bella asked, joining us in the living room. With both of the vampires standing together, was almost at awe of their ageless, teenage beauty even though I had seen quite often before.

"Remember I mentioned how I heard something funny while we were with the pack holding Charles?"

The question was rhetorical, she's a vampire, of course she remembered. "What I was hearing was these two."

Seth smiled, looking at me. I could tell he liked the idea that we were special.

"They imprinted on each other," Jake told Edward. Everyone was now looking at Seth and I.

Edward's eye brows furrowed, as if he was thinking about something.

"It's practically as fascinating as the pack's telepathic connection."

Nessie pressed her hand to her father's cheek.

He looked down and smiled at her,  
"Oh." He looked at only me this time, "You're not very nice to him."

I felt ashamed and guilty but Seth just laughed,

"She's different now than whatever Nessie showed you."

Edward nodded,

"I can hardly believe that the two of you can be part for any length of time at all."

"That's what I've been saying!" Nessie exclaimed. I rolled my eyes at her teasingly.

Edward looked towards the staircase then and we followed suit.

Alice danced down the stairs and Ani stepped down close behind.

"Deanna!" She seemed relieved to see me. I hugged her.

"Are you okay? What happened?" I asked her.

"I'm fine. But look at this!" She stepped next to a window and held out her arm. The same parts of her skin that were pale began to sparkle.

She thought it was cool. I just slowly swallowed, trying to register the fact that my twin sister is part of _them_.

My eyes not leaving Ani, I reached out to find Seth's hand again. Instead, he wrapped an arm around my waist and leaned into whisper into my ear,

"Don't worry, Dee. Look, she's still the same on the inside."

That made me feel better.

"What else is different?" Jake asked Carlisle, who I now noticed had also come downstairs.

"Her eyesight seems to have enhanced. And her voice is a little different."

I had noticed that.

"Can you run fast?" Jake asked Ani, almost as if he was considering recruiting her.

Ani looked at him sort of funny and shrugged,

"I don't know. They're all faster than me," she motioned to the vampires.

"I'm faster than her too," Nessie told him, "But she _is_ fast."

"How do we smell to you?" I asked Ani.

"A little like Stacy when she hasn't had a bath in awhile," she admitted, "But it's not very strong."

"How does Nessie smell to you?"

"Good."

"Does your throat itch?"

"Not really."

"Have you tried drinking blood?"

Ani shrugged,

"Yeah. It made the little itch in my throat go away but I wouldn't want to have it everyday. Kinda gross."

"This is so weird…" Seth mumbled.

"I would say that it's safe for her to be around humans," Carlisle told me.

"I can go home?" Ani asked.

Carlisle nodded.

"Good." I said, "Let's go right now."

No one objected so a few minutes later we walked into our house, Seth still with us.

"Mom! Ani's home!"

"Ani!" Noelle ran over and hugged her, "Oh my gosh! What a cute outfit!"

I rolled my eyes, of course the first thing Noelle would notice would be the clothes the Cullens gave to Ani.

My other sisters hugged her too and then my mom finally got a chance to talk to her.

Collin came over to talk to Seth and I,

"You guys like your new patrol time?"

Seth and I looked at each other,

"We're probably the only ones who can put up with Katie everyday," I said, "And it's good that we're together."

"Yeah," Collin nodded, "I noticed it goes by seniority."

Seth looked interested,

"What do you mean?"

"The more experienced are grouped with two young ones. Like you, Dee, and Katie. Basically, you _are_ supposed to babysit them."

"Who are you grouped with?" Seth asked him.

"Nate and Kyle."

"Oh, that's right. Fun?"

"They're not so bad. Except they have no patience. At all."

"Wait- what about Sam, Jared, and Paul? And Jake, Embry, and Quil? They are all older."

"Yeah, they don't have to babysit because they're the oldest. Seniority, remember?"

"Ugh."

"What, you don't want to be in a group with me?" I asked him, pretending to be hurt.

"Of course I do," he beamed at me, "I meant it's unfair that they're making other guys babysit."

Just then, Taylor entered the house.

He glanced at me, Seth, and Collin before letting his eyes search for Ani.

They both spotted each other and Ani crinkled her nose,

"When there's so many of you, you really _do_ smell like dog!"

Taylor looked away. He seemed hurt or embarrassed.

I felt bad for him until he looked at Collin and said,

"She's not exactly a patch of roses either."


	38. Maybe It Was Wrong

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 38: "Maybe it Was Wrong"

Analiese's (Ani) POV

Looking back, I guess I must have seemed sorta scary to Aria and Embry when I first woke up in the woods. But I don't think of myself as any kind of monster.

My skin, which parts of now glimmer in the sunlight, is different. My bones, inconsistent in density, are different. My blood, a lighter color and less thick, is different.

I don't think those things make me a monster, though.

I mean, come on, how is it so bad that I can run a little faster, sleep a little less, see a little better?

Monster? Nah.

Ok, so, maybe I can sorta drink blood if I want to. At least I'm not venomous.

I count myself among the super-human.

Parts of me just aren't me; like I've had some weird surgery done to replace my organs with a superhero's…Except, more like I aspirated some vampire dust and venom transformed some of my body.

But, whatever.

"Hey."

"Hey," Taylor responded, not too thrilled to see me. We were alone in my living room. It was 7:11 in the morning and he was here with Collin, who had just finished his shift of wolf patrol. I don't know why Taylor had come with him, but here he was, being kinda awkward, standing in my living room as I was trying to do my school work (I was taking a test on Algebra.)

Deanna was upstairs taking the same test. The rest of my sisters were downstairs in the playroom being taught different levels of math by Mom.

I looked away from Taylor, back down at my test. It was hard to focus with him being right next to me all creeper, however, so my eyes moved back over to him.

"Um, why are you here?"

"Collin."

"He needs a bodyguard?"

Taylor didn't look to happy,

"You smell _really_ _bad_."

I narrowed my eyes, offended,

"Yeah? Well no one else is bothered by it."

Taylor shrugged,

"Whatever. Just sayin', ya do."

"Why don't you just go find somewhere else to stand, because I'm trying to take a test," I told him, harshly.

He almost looked taken aback for a second, _almost_,

"'Cuz,…why? Am I distracting you?" He accused, unkindly.

"Yeah, you're the one telling me I smell bad and staring at me like a creep!" I pointed out.

"I'm not staring at you!" He got defensive, using an increasingly angry tone.

"Yes you were!"

"Hey! Shush! I'm trying to take a test!" Deanna called from upstairs, sounding annoyed.

"What's going on?" Mom and Collin entered the living room.

_Ugh._

"Taylor's in here being all mean and _distracting_ me while I'm trying to take my algebra test!"

Collin gave Taylor a stern look. Mom sighed in annoyance.

Taylor didn't say anything. He followed Collin outside.

"Jerk," I mumbled as he left.

"Brat," he replied.

Felt sorta betrayed by him now. I felt stupid for ever being his friend. It felt wrong that I had gone to the movies with him. _Maybe it _was_ wrong_.

When school work ended at 11, Josh and Noelle hung out watching a movie downstairs. I joined them. Embry came over a few minutes after Josh and he and Aria hung out in the house as well. Dee left the house around 12, going who-knows-where. Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen spent most of the day outside with Collin and Mom, playing with Stacy or doing their chores.

Embry left after dinner at 7, and that's when Aria and I did our chores. She has the dining room and I have the living room, but usually we combine the work and trade off who sweeps and vacuums or whatever.

Josh had also stayed for dinner and he didn't leave until Deanna and Seth came home at 11pm (which was when their shifts ended and Josh's began…so technically he was late for his shift.) Noelle finally started her chores then. She has to clean the bathrooms. Deanna did hers then, too, but she only has the hallways.

When Mom got upset at us staying up so late and told us to go to bed, Deanna, Noelle, Tasha, Aria, and I moved outside to our backyard. We expected Mom to throw a fit when she came to the window and saw us, but her face remained in bewildered shock, her eyes locked on something beyond us.

We turned,

…I was never so absolutely sure my eyes were making a mistake.

**Author's Note: ** THANKS to all those who have been reviewing, it means a lot =)

PLEASE review if you have anything at all to say about this chapter!

-YOU may also want to read my newest fanfiction, _Burning At Midnight_. It will soon tie into this story's plot, so for optimal character/plot comprehension, I strongly suggest you take a look at it ;D

NOTE! the twists of this story are **very** far from over.

_**Thank you**__ so much_, EVERYONE, for reading this; I love getting emails that people have added this story to their story alerts and favorite stories =D

Sincerely,

_**Ria M. Write**_

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	39. Things Are So Strange Here

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 39: "Things Are So Strange Here."

Collin's POV

The ice made funny clinking sounds, jiggling in the water as I carried the glasses outside. It was dark but I had been hearing a lot of laughter and conversation out on the porch. Elise and Kathleen had asked me for water before Jenny called them outside, her tone a curious level of bliss and excitement.

I figured I might as well fill a few extra glasses of water just in case anyone else-seeing as the entire family was in the backyard- would want any.

Unbeknownst to me, the backyard truly did hold the _entire family_.

I hadn't looked through the window to see what all their commotion was about, but I was surprised to not have taken note of the male voice mixed in with the rest of theirs.

Steeping out of the kitchen, on to the back porch, I felt my heart drop before my brain could even explain what my eyes were watching.

Taking place right there in front of me was a family reunion.

And I had walked in right as Jennifer was locking lips with _him_.

Turning back into the kitchen, I hated the small feeling of comfort that emerged within me from seeing her so happy.

So happy _with him_.

I could not stop myself from dropping the tray of glasses into the sink. Half expecting someone to find out what had made the loud crashing sound; I looked back towards the porch. Tasha's eyes briefly glanced in my direction, but that was all the acknowledgement my tantrum was granted.

Leaving the house, I heard sobbing. Deanna and Aria were _crying_ they were so happy to see him.

_This is impossible._

Tasha's POV

"Where _were_ you?" Elise asked, all of us sitting in our living room. It was _so_ late but none of us were tired. Except for Mom, she fell asleep on the couch next to Dad.

"How did you come back to life?" Kathleen wondered.

"Sometimes I have to go into hiding, it's part of my job. I was in Alaska, mostly."

Dad's a scientist. Just now we were finding out he has actually been studying the wolfpack.

_And we all thought he was dead…_

"And you now are allowed to come back?" Aria asked.

"I had to go into hiding because I was dealing with a lot of secrets. I had to keep them even from all of you. But now you all know the secrets anyways, so I don't have to hide any longer."

_The wolves and vampires?_

"Which secrets?" Noelle and I both asked.

"The Quileute boys. I have been studying their shapeshifting, trying to experiment with…things that could help them."

"What? Like what?" Aria asked.

"…Medicine."

"For?"

"Some vampires try to…poison them. I've been working on creating an antidote."

"So you knew about the wolves before we even did?" Elise asked, "Before we even moved here!"

Dad nodded,

"Yes. Remember I grew up in the tribe? Our family is one of the descendents of the ones who could shapeshift. My assistant, Zachary, used to shapeshift."

I looked at Dee-Dee. She bit her lip,

"I can shapeshift, Dad," she admitted to him. He looked surprised for a second, then nodded,

"I suppose you would be able to."

"Why?" Aria asked.

"Would any of us maybe be able to?" Ani asked.

"I haven't done much research on female shapeshifters," was his only answer.

"How are you still alive? We saw you get hurt in the crash…" Noelle asked.

"Just a very good trick. You all were so lost in the confusion, it was not difficult to fake anything after that."

"That wasn't very nice to trick us," Kathleen commented, quietly.

Dad looked at her, sympathetically,

"I know. I owe a lot to all of you."

"Any more secrets?" I asked, suspiciously.

"…Well, nothing important. You know how you all think my name to be Bob Brentwood? It's actually Quris Victoris Braveman O'Toole. I know it sounds sort of ridiculous, but…"

"You know that Ani's a vampire?" Kathleen asked him.

"_PART_ vampire," Ani corrected her.

Dad nodded,

"Yes, I did know that, actually. Your appearance makes it very obvious."

"What are you working on now? Like, what experiment?" Deanna asked.

Dad looked uncomfortable,

"Actually, I have to speak with the pack. I could use them to help my research."

"When are you going to do that?" asked Noelle.

"Tomorrow, I suppose."

"I'm glad you're back," I told Dad, "Things are so strange here."

Collin's POV

I supposed I felt as if I was going to be reprimanded. Earlier, Mr. Brentwood-or whatever his name is- had spoken to Jacob, Leah, and Sam. Now, he was doing some sort of interview with Josh, Seth, Embry, and I. Jacob had no doubt purposely selected us because we had imprinted on his family.

_Just awesome. _

"I hear you all have had experiences with Charles," he began, sitting down on a chair across from the couch in Sam and Emily's house, where I was squished next to Seth. Embry stood next to us, against the wall. Josh sat on the floor, by my feet.

Josh was trying very hard not to laugh- I assume he was in a good mood since Noelle was happy with her father being back.

I kicked his head. This was no time for goofing around.

"Yeah, he terrorized the Brentwoods and murdered a girl in Forks. We caught him but he, like,…evaporated," Seth explained.

Josh let out his laugh,

"Evaporated!"

Seth just gave him a look.

"Mr. Brentwood-" Embry started.

"Dr. Quris."

Embry correct himself,

"Dr. Quris, why are you talking to us?"

"Information. Charles has been a subject of my studying for quite sometime. When I began, roughly sixteen years ago, it was he who had originally created the problem."

"What problem?" asked Seth.

"Charles tried to genetically alter the shapshifters."

"Us? When?" Josh asked.

"Like I said, some sixteen years ago."

Embry looked at us, realizing that was around the same time Dr. Quris' first daughter, Aria, must have been born.

"Didn't you live in California?" He asked the doctor.

"Yes. But a friend here needed my help so I returned for a year."

"You left your family for a year?" I asked, my tone accusing.

He bowed his head,

"I did."

"And then again?"

He nodded,

"This research is very important to the pack…Now I think we should discuss something…._imprinting._"

We all glanced at one another, now a little scared.

"I imprinted on Aria," Embry was the first to speak.

"Me and Dee…." Seth said.

"And I imprinted on Noelle," Josh admitted.

I kept my mouth shut. Dr. Quris seemed very surprised for a moment.

"Oh…I wasn't expecting that but…yes, that makes very much sense…"

As he spoke, a tall Quileute man stepped into the room. He examined us, his expression relaxing.

"Ah, Zachary," Dr. Quris began, "Some of these boys just announced to me they imprinted on my daughters."

Zachary smiled at first, playfully. Then he seemed to think of something and his tone was skeptical,

"Interesting."

"Indeed," Dr. Quris agreed.

"You both are from La Push?" Josh asked. It was obvious they were. Unlike his wife and daughters, Dr. Quris' skin was as tan as ours, so was Zachary's. Jenny's skin is very much paler, with her daughters being darker than her but lighter than ours, Dee having the darkest of all of them.

"Yeah…I was once a shapeshifter," Zachary told us, sounding somber.

"I thought no one from your generation phased…no vampires around…" Embry said.

Zachary nodded,

"Just me. I told no one."

"This is all so bizarre," Embry mumbled.

"Thanks for your time," Dr. Quris shook our hands, leaving the room with Zachary. Seth patted my shoulder,

"Sorry, man. We're here for you." He sounded sincerely empathic; he _did_ know what it was like to have what seemed to be an impossible imprint.

"Even if you _are_ totally perverted," Josh added, patting my other shoulder. I glared at him.

Embry nodded,

"Don't worry about any of this, it's gonna work out ok. Our imprints can't escape us even if they want to," he winked.

**Thanks for reading! =D**

**Be sure to **_**REVIEW**_**! Right now! DO IT! **

**-**Ria M. Write


	40. Do You Have a Crush on Miley?

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 40: "Do You Have a Crush on Miley?"

Noelle's POV

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" shouted my sisters, waking me up from my nice dream.

"Oh my gosh, guys! You're so loud!" I told them, as they began to sing to me.  
"Come on downstairs!"

"Dad made pancakes with chocolate chips in them!"

"Yeah! They smell _really _good!"

Elise and Kathleen told me.

"Yeah, really, hurry up. I want some," Tasha agreed.

"And we have presents for you too," Ani added.

Aria laughed,

"Sorry, for waking you up, Noelle. You look tired."

"Come on guys, we can wait for her downstairs," Deanna suggested.

"I'm fine, Deanna," I told her, hopping out of bed, "And I'm only one year younger than you now," she added, smirking.

"Yay! All three of us are going to be teenagers next year!" Ani exclaimed, excitedly to Deanna and Noelle.

"Uh, I've been a teenager for awhile now, guys. And I'm going to be seventeen in a month." Aria pointed out.

"Yeah, but no one care about you," Ani said.

After that we all went down to the dining room to eat breakfast.

"Happy birthday, Noelley!" Dad greeted me.

"Happy birthday!" Mom exclaimed at the same time.

My sisters weren't lying; my dad _did_ make pancakes with chocolate chips in them.

"When is Josh coming over?" asked Kathleen, already assuming Josh would be the first visitor on my birthday.

My older sisters laughed at the fact that Kathleen had known that.

"How cute," Ani commented.

"Josh and Noelley sitting in a tre-" Tasha began, stopping after I sent her a death glare. Elise and Kathleen laughed.

"Guys, Josh won't come over today," I replied to Kathleen, rolling my eyes, being sarcastic, "Duh."

"_Suuureee_," sang Ani, "Whatever you wanna say, Noelle."

I laughed, thinking about when Josh and I had been on the beach the other day.

"You know how some people while they are dating that have like, a song?"

My sisters nodded.

"Oooooh," Deanna teased, "That's right, I forgot. Joshy had you guys pick a song."

"Yeah, and guess what it was?"

" 'Nobody's Perfect'," Ani guessed, laughing.

"Some really girly song," Tasha agreed.

"Ok, yeah. He wanted it to be a Miley Cyrus song."

"Maybe he has a crush on her," Aria teased.

"Psh, _no_. I'm more awesome then her!" I reminded Aria.

"He probably does," Deanna, Tasha, and Ani agreed with Aria.

"Hey!"

"Just kidding!" Ani laughed.

"You should ask him," Aria said.

I laughed,

"_Fine_, I will."

When Josh did enter our house, he came right over to me and gave me a hug,

"Happy BIRTHDAY!" He shouted.

I laughed,

"Thanks."

"I got you a present," he told me.

"Duh, what is it?" I asked.

He smirked and handed me a bracelet.

I examined it for a moment. It had a silver chain but hanging from it looked like pretty wood carvings. One was a wolf, the other was a flower.

I still said nothing so Josh eventually spoke,

"The flower is because of your middle name," he explained, meaning 'Florette', "And obviously I'm that beastly wolf…"

"You carved it?" I asked him.

"Yeah."

"How?"

My father entered the living room with us then,

"Ah, of course. Hand-carved charms on a bracelet. Nice gift for an imprint. "

"It's pretty," commented Aria. Her and Deanna were also in the room.

I looked at Deanna, then back down at the bracelet,

"It sort of looks like one you used to wear," I told Deanna.

Deanna looked embarrassed,

"I lost mine," she explained, "When Collin, Alan, and Taylor got into a fight once. It was actually the same time I hurt my wrist."

"Woah, what? You told us you fell off a chair!" Aria exclaimed.

"Yeah, well. No. Actually my bracelet that Seth had given me fell off and I reached for it and got hurt." **(See chapter "She's Obviously Fine…ish")**

"…You always said you didn't like Seth," Aria remembered.

Deanna shrugged,

"I know. I was weird, okay?"

Aria laughed,

"Okay, okay."

"Thanks," I finally said to Josh.

"You don't think it's weird?" Josh asked, cautiously.

"Sorta but it's really pretty so I'll wear it anyways," I teased him.

"Ok cool."

Everyone turned to the door as Collin walked into the house.

He met eyes with Dad, then immediately looked down at his feet.

Deep, dark circles were under his eyes.

"…May I help you?" asked our father.

"Where's Jenny?" He asked, his voice almost scary it was so dark.

"…Downstairs in the laundry room…"

Collin left to the laundry room.

"What an odd boy…" Dad commented.

None of us said anything. We knew Collin didn't want us to tell Dad about him imprinting on Mom.

"Even though you don't have any school work today, you have to still do your chores!" Mom reminded us, walking upstairs from the laundry room.

"Ugh," Deanna rolled her eyes.

"Mom!" I whined, "It's my birthday!"  
"Not you, Noelley. You can do whatever you want. Just don't set the house on fire."

Josh smiled, excited,

"Can she hang out with me?"

"Sure, Josh."

"Yay!"

Mom and Dad left to the kitchen.

"Noelle, did you ask Josh yet?" Ani reminded me, joining us in the living room.

"About what?" Josh asked, curiously.

"Oh yeah! Do you have a crush on Miley?" I asked him.

He blinked, confused for a second,

"Miley?"

"Cyrus."

"_Oh_, _her_, right. No."

I frowned. I had expected him to play along.

"Why not?"

"Because I have a crush on someone else."

"Who?"

"Just some girl…"

"Who?" I demanded.

"Oh, you know, just a girl…"

"Josh!" I was getting frustrated.

He stepped closer to me and rested his head against mine,

"You."

"Oh, duh, I already knew that," I stuttered, blushing.

"Ew, see ya' later, love birds," Ani left.

Deanna and Aria followed her.

"Is Collin okay?" I asked him, trying to change the subject but secretly liking that he was being so sweet.

"Not even close," he replied, "he like…yeah, no. Not even close."

"Why is it so bad? It's not like he could date my mom before either," I whispered, just incase my parents tried to listen.

"Yeah but it kills him to see her with another guy."

"Would it be the same for you if I dated someone else?"

Josh pulled me into a hug,

"Yup," he admitted, "I would want to kill him. I mean, unless you _liked_ him, then I'd just want to kill myself."

"…I feel like I'm in an unhealthy relationship."

"It's 'cuz you are."

"Oh."

"Yup," Josh laughed, "But it's okay because I imprinted on you which mean we're meant to be together."

"Got it. Wanna go eat some of the ice cream cake my parents are hiding in the freezer downstairs?"

Josh chuckled,

"Absolutely. Then we can go see a movie or something…you know, since its raining."

I looked out the window,

"Is it really? I didn't even notice."

"Yeah. It's because you're used to it. Just wait, one day when it's sunny you'll like _explode_ with awe because you'll realize you haven't seen the sun in four years."

I laughed.

"Can you help me put this on?" I asked him, holding up the bracelet he had just given me. He smiled at took it from me, carefully putting it around my wrist.

**Author's Note:** So yeah. Collin's not doing too well.

Don't be fooled! When I said surprises are far from over, I wasn't even talking about their dad showing up!

-Ria M. Write

p.s. PLEASE REVIEW =D


	41. Red Is The Color of Love, Yes?

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 41: "Red is the color of love, yes?"

Taylor's POV

"Hey," I greeted Collin, as he pulled on his clothes, having just finished his shift in wolf form.

"Hey," he barely mumbled in reply. I could clearly see he hadn't been getting any sleep. "Thanks for meeting me here. I don't think I could go in alone."

"Yeah, it's cool." I glanced at the Brentwoods' house, a little apprehensive about seeing Ani. "…So, can I just do the chores and stuff with you?"

"If you like," he shrugged. He sounded depressed.

I took a deep breath,

"Let's go."

It had to be around 7:10 when we walked through the door. The Brentwood sisters were all doing school work. I guess they must start at 7.

"Goodmorning, Collin." Mrs. Brentwood smiled, sounding cheerful as she entered the living room.

"Morning," Collin replied, forcing his tone to sound a little better.

"Wanna help me clean up the kitchen?"

I frowned, realizing Mrs. Brentwood wasn't going to say hello to me.

"I want to help today, too," I told her.

She smiled at me,

"Oh, ok. Collin, go find the mop and you…." She paused, trying to remember my name.

"_Taylor_." _This is ridiculous. _

"Taylor, you can wash dishes."

I nodded. Mrs. Brentwood walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Collin? How exactly do you wash dishes?" I turned to see that Collin had already left to find the mop.

_Awesome_.

I sighed and started to head into the kitchen. I stopped when I heard someone come in through the front door. I saw the same Quileute man who apparently works with Mr. Brentwood (or _Dr. Quris_ or whatever,) Zachary.

"Hi," he seemed friendly.

"Uh, hi."

"Zachary, Dr. Quris' assistant." He introduced himself, holding out his hand for me to shake.

"Taylor."

"Very nice to meet you. So, I guess you're one of the guys who imprinted on his daughters. Which one's yours?"

"Um. I didn't imprint on anyone."

He looked surprised,

"Really? What are you doing hanging around here?"

"…I'm here with Collin."

Zachary blinked, his face going expressionless,

"Oh. Did he imprint on anyone?"

Slowly, I shook my head,

"…We just, um, help out Mrs. Brentwood. With housework and stuff."

"Ah. You get paid?"

"…No."

He looked confused now,

"Oh, come one. There has to be some reason the two of you come here."

Just as he spoke, Ani came from upstairs. Her hair was down and I could hardly smell the vampire-y scent that now lingered on her skin. There was a notebook in her hands.

I swallowed, trying to stay cool as she looked up at me.

"Hey," I quickly said, deciding talking to her would be less awkward than just complete silence.

"Um, hi. What are you doing here?"

"Collin and I are helping your mom with housework."

"Oh…Well, have fun with that." She started to walk down the stairs to the playroom.

"Ani…" I reached towards her, accidently grabbing her wrist. I felt myself burning up, embarrassed.

She turned to face me,

"What?"

"I'm sorry?"

She seemed startled by my words.

"Is that a question?"

"I…um….no?"

She turned away again, pulling her hand from my wrist. She dropped her notebook in the process.

I quickly leaned down, using my agility to pick it up before she could. I glanced down at the page it had fallen open to.

_Change._ The title was followed by song lyrics, written out in Ani's handwriting.

She snatched the book from my hands and marched downstairs.

"_Ah_," Zachary nodded, "That explains it."

"What?" I asked.

"You like her."

"Nah," I quickly defended, "I just insulted her so I was trying to apologize."

"Red is the color of love, yes?"

"Sure…"

"Look in the mirror. You've been blushing like crazy ever since she walked into the room."

I didn't know what to say.

"Taylor? You going to wash dishes or not?" Mrs. Brentwood called from the kitchen. She saw Zachary. "Oh, hello Zachary! Bob is upstairs. He should be down in a second."

"Thanks, Jennifer."

I joined Mrs. Brentwood in the kitchen. Collin walked back into the living room from downstairs, hardly noticing Zachary. Zachary looked at him for a moment, then left the house.

Sighing, I grabbed a sponge and started to wash the dishes.


	42. He Sort of, You Know

_7-Eleven _

Chapter 42: "He sort of, you know…"

Josh's POV

"_Collin's getting a little creepy." _I stopped to sniff a tree. _ "Hey, you guys ever notice trees smell kinda dirt-like?" _

"_Josh, quit smelling trees." _Alan laughed.

"_Don't bother, Alan," _Brady sighed as I stuck my nose next to some moss, _"Anyway, you're right. He is getting a little weird."_

I finished sniffing the moss and looked at Brady,

"_I'm beginning to think he's getting kinda disrespectful. I mean, Quris is MARRIED to her. He has dibs. And Collin's thoughts aren't at all merciful to the guy. He's also older than us. And if I wasn't for him, his daughters wouldn't be here, and obviously they're important to the pack." _

"_Yeah but Collin can't control his possessive emotions, he imprinted on her." _Alan thought.

"_You make it sound like those girls make some sort of vital contribution to our work." _ Brady commented.

"_Well they definitely are important! They're the emotional bases for some of us! They're IMPRINTS!" _I defended.

Brady snorted,

"_All that means is they are supposed to reproduce. So far that hasn't happened. The pack would be fine without those sisters." _

"_You feel the same way about Audrine?" _Alan pointed out.

I tried to keep quiet, furious that he had just said Noelle was not important.

"_The point is that we should not feel in debt to Quris just because he's the father of those girls." _Brady concluded.

Collin's POV

It was nearly 3 am, time for my shift in wolf form. I phased, the thoughts of Josh, Brady, and Alan merging with mine.

"_Maybe Jacob should step in."_ Josh was just finishing his thought.

"_Step in with what?"_

My question was met with uncomfortable silence. I could tell they were all trying to control their thoughts, resorting to reciting different things in their heads over and over again so that they wouldn't reveal whatever it was they were just talking about.

A few seconds later, they had all phased away.

"_Awesome. A secret." _ I felt the feeling of lonely exclusion slip into my heart.

The feeling didn't really improve much when I was joined by Kyle and Nate. They were busy arguing about…well, _everything_.

I was like their babysitter.

Finally 7am came and Kyle and Nate immediately left, eager to take a nap before they would have to go to school.

A couple minutes after 7 Jacob phased. I was about to leave but he stopped me,

"_Collin, Josh and Taylor are at the Brentwoods' house." _

I rolled my eyes,

"_Wow. That's so shocking. Thanks for warning me."_

"_So are Dee and Seth." _

"_Ok."_

Jacob was pretty good at concealing his thoughts if he really wanted to. I figured he must have planned out exactly what he was going to say before he phased.

Quil and Embry joined so I decided I must be allowed to go now.

After pulling on my clothes, I headed for the Brentwoods' house. Finally my day would get a little brighter. Helping Jenny made me feel better.

"Good morning," Aria mumbled as I walked into the house. Her eyes were fixed on the open book she was holding. Her hands were blocking the title, but whatever it was it looked boring.

"Aria? You were supposed to tell us when he got here!" Noelle shouted from upstairs.

"Thanks, _Aria_," Dee said sarcastically, following Noelle and Josh as they jumped down the stairs. Seth was right behind her.

Aria's eyes didn't leave the words she was trying to read.

"Mhm," was all she responded with.

"Where's Jenny?" I asked, not wanting to talk to any of them.

"Out shopping with Elise and Kathleen. Thanks for telling me Collin's here, guys." Ani was walking up the stairs from the playroom.

"_Aria_ didn't tell us either," Noelle explained.

"Nice job, Aria," Ani sighed.

"You guys are so loud." Aria dropped her book away from her face and carried it outside with her, pushing past Seth to get to the door. "Remember Mom says we better have our school work done by the time she gets home!" She warned before closing the door behind her.

"Where's Taylor?" Seth asked Ani.

"Still downstairs," Ani answered.

"Well I _know that_, I meant why isn't he coming up here now?" Seth asked impatiently.

"I'm here, I'm here." Taylor bounded up the stairs.

"Kay, good. Now let's get talking. Collin, if you will sit there please." Josh pointed to the piano bench.

I sighed and sat down, trying to keep from getting frustrated.

"I don't want to be a part of this. I'm going outside," Ani announced, going to the front door.

"Yeah, me to. Bye," Noelle left with Ani.

Josh pouted,

"Let's make this quick."

"Agreed," Taylor concurred.

They all sat down on the couch across from me.

"What exactly is this all abou-" I stopped, the sound of the front door opening again distracting.

I expected one of the sisters to march in, but instead came Dr. Quris.

"Ah, perfect. I swear, my timing is getting better and better with age," laughed the man. Tasha was with him.

"Hi, Dr. Quris," Seth greeted, standing up. Reluctantly, Taylor and Josh also stood. Dee and I stood a second later.

"Hello, Seth. Josh, Taylor, Collin, Deanna," he nodded, greeting each of us as Tasha waved to me then left the room.

"Dee," Dee corrected him.

Finally, he sat on the other couch (the one that was closer to me) and we all sat down again too.

"How's everything, boys?"

"Well, we need to talk about something," Seth was trying to be the leader, I could tell. He _was_ the oldest of us, but still wasn't quite used to him being out of his depressed 'Dee-hates-me-so-my-life-has-no-meaning' attitude.

Josh kept his eyes on his feet. It was clear he wasn't planning on speaking around Quris. He acts pretty scared of him.

"Alright, go ahead." Dr. Quris smiled, encouraging.

_How come they didn't tell me what this was going to be about_?

"Collin…He sort of, you know…imprinted. On your wife."

My jaw dropped, my eyes widened, and my heart sped up.

_Seth is freakin' lucky Dee imprinted on him, otherwise his little neck would be tore open already._

"SETH YOU LITTLE-" I sprung up, lunging towards him. The others were up in an instant, stopping me with my face inches from Seth's.

"Tash? Could you please call Zachary for me? Tell him to come immediately!" Quris shouted to Tasha. "Let's take this conversation into another room, please."

Growling, I let the others pull me into the basement. Dr. Quris locked the door. I sat down on the small couch that Noelle and Aria usually use as one of their beds. Dee, Seth, Taylor, and Josh surrounded me.

"You said you were here for me!" I quietly accused Seth, the end of my sentence revealing my hurt.

Seth cast his eyes away from me,

"It wasn't right…"

_What? It wasn't right for me to fear my imprints husband who I just found is alive?_

I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. Half of me was furious with the betrayal, and the other half was frightened of what Quris had to say.

Dr. Quris was examining a line of bottles high on a self. They hadn't been there yesterday. I should know; I clean this place.

He turned around, meeting my eyes for a moment before looking at the others,

"Why don't you four go upstairs and wait for Zachary? No need for you to come back down. Collin and I can talk alone."

Dee, Taylor, and Seth looked hesitant, but Josh was practically up the stairs and out of the room before Quris had finished.

Once they all had left, Dr. Quris turned to me. He didn't say anything.

"…I would apologize but…Nothing in me is sorry, to be honest," I said.

"You shouldn't apology. Imprinting is not something you can control."

A dim light of hope shone in my heart's shadow; _He can't possible be willing to let me have her?_

He continued,

"I'm pondering something. I don't know if this theory is a product of facts or of my feelings, though."

"Theory?" My hope was shrinking.

"I am a scientist, of course," he replied. "And my research is about this very thing: Improper Imprinting. Or ' _I's_ '. Zachary likes to call them 'Impossible Imprints'."

"…I don't understand. You're saying that I…" I couldn't get myself to say it.

"I'm saying you're animal instincts made a mistake."

_A mistake…_

"I…no…"

"Possibly," he corrected himself, "_Possibly_ made a mistake. There's a way to find out. But, although so far I haven't come across any side effects, the choice to take the injection is yours."

"Injection?" _Is this some sort of science experiment?_

"Yes, to reverse the altered genes."

"Genes?"

"Your genetic makeup has been altered."

"That's your theory, you mean. Mine _might_ be."

"That's what Charles was trying to do so many years ago. He tried it on Zachary, and it worked. He was hoping that by having shapeshifters imprint improperly, they wouldn't reproduce and eventually the bloodline would leave the population entirely. He did it to Zachary and had Zachary do it to others. But when Zachary imprinted, although it _wasn't_ a natural and correct and 'destined' imprint, he still had a child. So Charles abandoned the experiment."

"So what exactly is the injection?"

"Ah, when I found Zachary, wounded in the woods physically by Charles and broken hearted because he and his imprint were just not meant to be, I moved him to California where I lived and since then have been working to reverse the effects of the genetic alteration."

"….So the injection is…?"  
"The injection is what I used to help Zachary. He unimprinted."

Initially, the idea horrified me. But my mind slowly started to realize how much better it could be for Jenny if I just act like none of this ever happened.

Dr. Quris turned around, grabbing a cotton swab and pulling out a syringe with a needle and filling it with the liquid contents of one of the bottles. He turned back to me,

"The choice is yours."

[--]

**Author's Note:** Sorry for taking awhile to update. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates it =)

And I'm still not finished with the surprises.

What do you think is going to happen?

PLEASE **REVIEW: Will Collin do it? Do you think he should? =D**

**THANKS FOR READING! =)))))**


	43. Destiny is What Happens

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 43: "Destiny is What Happens, Not What Happened"

Jennifer's POV

Opening the front door to my house, I was surprised to see a few of the teenage boys along with Deanna talking to Zachary in my living room.

"Hi, guys," I smiled, taking off my coat and hanging it in the closet.

"Mom, can we bring Stacy on a walk?" Elise asked me.

"Sure. Go tell your sisters to go with you."

"Come on, Deanna!" Elise said.

"No I'm busy right now. Go ask Noelle or Ani or Aria."

"Where are they?" asked Kathleen.

"Outside," answered one of the boys, Josh.

"Where's Bob?" I asked Zachary, "Is he downstairs?" I started to walk towards the basement.

"Uh, Mrs. Brentwood, I think you should wait, he's sort of busy right now," Seth warned her.

I knocked on the basement door,

"Bob? I thought you were going to wash the cars with the girls?"

I heard footsteps as he walked up the stairs and opened the basement door.

"Sorry, I had to take care of something."

My eyes caught sight of something past him and I saw Collin sitting on the small couch, his hand covering his arm right below where it bends. He looked up and met my eyes.

"What happened...?" I asked, as Collin looked away from me. Neither of them answered me. "Bob? What happened?" I asked him again.

"…Collin was sick. He was infected by the disease I was telling you about, the one I've been studying."

"Oh," I felt my heart fill with sympathy for him. "Collin…" I pushed past Bob and walked over to Collin. The boy looked at me like I was some alien. I figured he must feel lonely, having just found out he was infected with a disease and not having a family to turn to. I hugged him.

"If you ever need anything, I'm here for you. You can ask anytime. Stay here anytime."

It sounded like he was paralyzed with shock when he spoke,

"Thanks..."

"You'll be okay," I promised him, pulling away and placing my hands on his shoulders.

He looked doubtful, moving his hand to his hair and awkwardly fixing it.

"Jen, let's give him some space."

I stood up and moved next to Bob as the other guys upstairs along with Deanna and Zachary squished together near the doorway, trying to see what was going on.

I watched Deanna's eyes as the darted down to his arm, which seemed to have just stopped bleeding. I realized Bob must have given him some sort of shot.

Deanna gasped and Seth looked at her with concern and confusion, stepping closer to her.

Zachary moved past the rest of them to actually enter the basement. His eyes filled with understanding.

"Deanna? Do you wanna help me with lunch?"

"Mom…not…really…"

"Come on," I grabbed her by the wrist and led her into the kitchen. Seth followed.

"I'll help you with lunch, Mrs. Brentwood," he offered, "Deanna has stuff she has to do with the pack."

I sighed and then nodded,

"Okay, Okay. Wash your hands."

Deanna's POV 

My mom turned to take out a pan from the cabinet and I quickly kissed Seth on the cheek,

"Thanks," I whispered to him. Our eyes locked for a moment and then I dashed back downstairs to see what was going on. Zachary and Dad were talking quietly to each other in the laundry room, stopping when they saw me walk by.

"Guys, you have _no idea_," Collin said as I jumped down into the basement.

"Welcome back, Dee," Josh said, "Hey, you know, we need like a patronizing nickname for you. Make you feel like you're younger than us or something."

I narrowed my eyes at him,  
"Why?"

"'Cuz you're like a girl…and you're shorter than us."

"Shorty," Taylor suggested, "Or shawty if we wanna get Seth annoyed at us."

Josh laughed. "She'd be like the entire pack's girl," Taylor added.

"Cuz I'm _like_ a girl? Jeeze, Josh! I _am_ a girl!" I sounded offended.

"Hey. It's not _our_ fault nature messed up and added _girls_ to a _guy_ pack," Taylor said.

I rolled my eyes.

"Nature is so confusing," Collin said, "Ten minutes ago I was head over heels for Jennifer. Now I think it's the most awkward thing ever to even talk to her. She's like…older than me. By a lot."

"Really?" Josh pretended to act shocked, "We never even realized. There's gotta be only, what, a two year difference?"

"Shut up," I pushed Josh, "Leave him alone," I told him.

"You're lucky you're a girl," Josh mumbled, "Otherwise you wouldn't be able to just push me like that. So not cool," he didn't sound like he was kidding.

"And then… now she's all 'I'm here for you.' What the hell? I would have _died_ with happiness if she said that to me yesterday!" Collin continued.

I sighed,

"So what happened? He numbed you from feeling in love or something?"

"No... He made me… unimprint."

We all paused and listened as Zachary and Dad left the house.

"Unimprint? That's not even…that's not possible though…" I felt so confused. I listened to Seth helping my Mom in the kitchen, his footsteps as he walked across the floor to set the table.

I couldn't imagine my feelings for him ever changing.

Taylor and Josh looked down at their feet.

"I guess we have to tell Jacob," Josh sighed, "This isn't going to be fun."

"He's on patrol right now. If someone can just get the rest of the pack we can tell him in wolf form," Taylor suggested.

"Ok?" Josh asked me, trying to read my expression.

"This isn't good," I whispered, feeling like my voice was running away.

Josh put his arms around me and forced me into a hug,

"Shh, it'll all be okay little Shawty." I wasn't sure if he was actually trying to comfort me or was just making fun.

Collin laughed.

I sighed and then rolled my eyes as Taylor walked upstairs. The three of us followed after him.

"Sethy, dear! We have to go talk to Jacob!" Josh called as we headed for the front door.

"Sorry, Mrs. Brentwood," Seth apologized, leaving the kitchen, "Maybe I can help you tomorrow."

"Way to be a suck up," Taylor said to Seth as Seth took my hand.

"Yeah, man, I mean Collin _just_ got over her. Don't you think you should wait at least a few days before you sweep in?" Josh teased.

Seth messed up Josh's hair,

"I was just trying to be nice."

Finally we were able to get the message around and organized a pack meeting in wolf form.

Let's just say, there were mixed reactions.

Neither Nate nor Kyle had much of an opinion on the matter. They were the most confused about it out of any of us.

Collin himself stood by the fact that he trusted Quris (my dad.)

Jacob's initial reaction was just curiosity, and stayed quiet, listening to everyone, trying to make a good decision about what to do.

Embry didn't say anything, but he was pretty sure that the injection was a good thing. He thought that everyone should take it, just to make sure there were no other mistakes.

Quil didn't like the idea of an injection messing with a "sacred commitment" and kept questioning Collin on if he was sure he didn't like my mom anymore.

Seth's thoughts were similar to mine, he wasn't sure if he was totally against what Collin did but he knew that nothing could ever change the way he felt about me, therefore confused about what exactly had happened to Collin's emotions.

Josh decided that he believed that the injection had correctly a mistake and that it was Collin's problem that he had a messed up brain.

Alan, who is usually fascinated with science, just wanted us all to move on and stop debating it.

Brady couldn't take the situation seriously. He tried to make what happened seem very unimportant. But he also decided that he would never mess with the injection himself.

Leah had sort of the same idea as Embry, thinking that maybe what Collin did was a good thing and could benefit the pack further.

Sam was the most suspicious. He didn't trust Quris and suspected that maybe the injection had messed with Collin's brain and just forced him to _think_ he didn't love Jennifer anymore,

"_It probably would make anyone 'unimprint' if they took it. I think he lied to you. No matter what, it makes people 'unimprint.' Why wouldn't he lie to you? You imprinted on his wife!" _

"_I don't like it either…"_ agreed Katie.

Paul, Jared, and Chris all also thought it was a bad idea.

Taylor was sort of hopeful though.

"_I think we should kick you out of the pack_," Katie spoke harshly to Collin.

"_Katie!"_ Jacob warned her.

Collin growled and than phased away into his human form.

Collin's POV

I was disgusted with the pack. They didn't trust Quris. They accused me of being selfish and messing up destiny.

Running to the Brentwoods', I threw open the door to find Aria once again reading her book on the piano bench.

"Goodmorning," she mumbled again. I chuckled,

"What an exciting life you have."

She looked up at me and squinted her eyes,

"Wait, you don't look like you just crawled out of a graveyard…what changed?"

"Everything," I confessed.

She titled her head,

"Like?"

"Like...I unimprinted."

"…Oh my gosh…you're serious…"

"Dead. I feel so alive…and free…and guilty."

"What happened?" she demanded, closing her book and standing up to walk closer to me.

"Your dad. He gave me some shot to reverse this thing that Charles started. Something to do with genetics and DNA or whatever. Charles made us (the shapeshifters) imprint on the wrong people. So your dad gave me an injection to see if that is what happened to me; if that was why I imprinted on you mom."

"Oh my gosh. Why do you feel guilty?"

"The pack. Some of them think I was wrong for screwing with destiny."

"Destiny?" Zachary approached us from the kitchen. I hadn't expected him to say anything.

"Where's Quris? I need to talk to him," I explained.

"He's out. But if it's destiny you want to discuss, I think I can help."

"How?"

"I took that same injection. Years ago. He made it for me because I was the first Charles ever experimented on."

"Charles experimented on more than just you?" Aria asked, sounding sort of disappointed.

Zachary shook his head,

"No but he did it by infecting my food. The same night I had a dinner party. So Quris always suspected others had been infected as well. Especially you."

"…Why especially me?"

Zachary shook his head again,

"I'm sorry. I'm getting off topic. You see, you're worried that you messed with destiny, and that makes no sense."

"Why not?"

"Well, son, destiny is what _happens_, not was _happened_."

I felt a light bulb over my head,

"My destiny is my future, not my past...I couldn't have messed it up!"

Zachary smiled,

"Feel better?"

"Thank you. But the other problem is that they're debating on whether the others should have the injection also…"

"What?" Aria sounded like she was going to have a heart attack.


	44. I Know What I Feel

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 44: "I Know What I Feel"

Deanna's POV

"Deanna! Guess what I just heard?" Nessie bounded into the room to where I was sitting in Sam and Emily's kitchen.

I grinned at her after she pressed her hand against my arm and showed me a conversation she had just witnessed,

"You know what this means?"

"We'll have to wear dresses?"

We both laughed. She had just shown me Jared telling Sam that he and Kim are going to be married by this summer.

"What's all the giggling about?" Emily asked, entering the kitchen. She was starting to gain weight from her pregnancy.

"Kim and Jared are getting married!" Nessie blurted out. Emily gave us a suspicious look,

"You weren't supposed to know about that yet."

Nessie shrugged,

"I'm going to find Jacob. Catch you later, Dee," Nessie darted out of the room, dashing towards the backyard where Jacob had just phased into his human form.

Emily picked up a tray of food and offered me some. As much as I wanted to politely decline, my stomach was growling so I took a handful of cold cuts.

I smiled as I heard Seth approaching the door. He waved to Emily and walked over to me, placing a single kiss on the top of my head and sitting down across from me.

Then he saw the meat in my hand.

"I know, I'm a pig nowadays," I said.

His stomach growled.

"Wolves eat like wolves," he shrugged, grabbing some food from the tray himself.

Emily was about to put the tray back on the counter but hesitated.

"…I hope what Collin hasn't caused any problems between you two," she eventually said to us, turning back towards the counter.

Seth and I looked blankly at each other.

"What do you mean?" I asked Emily.

She turned to look at me again,  
"Well…I just mean…You used to always say you thought Seth imprinting on you was a mistake."

Seth's hand instantly reached out under the table and snatched up mine.

"Don't listen to her," he whispered to me.

I realized what was going on, Emily was worried that I would try to unimprint on Seth.

"Never," I told her. She looked away.

"Good," she mumbled, and then she left the kitchen.

Seth and I locked eyes for a moment but before either of us could say anything, my sister and Josh walked into the room. Noelle's hands were over her ears and she was singing random things on the top of her lungs.

"_No_-elley! _No_oo-elley! Listen to me!" Josh was trying desperately to pry her hands off of her head.

Seth raised his eyebrows and I just laughed.

"What's going on with you two?"

"She found out I stole something and she won't let me explain why," Josh replied, having to talk loud over Noelle's singing.

"Nice," Seth laughed.

"What did you steal?" I asked. Josh rolled his eyes,

"It's not that bad," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle with a strange-looking liquid in it.

Seth squinted his eyes, peering at the bottle in curiosity.

"Hey, that's one of my dad's bottles…" I recognized.

"Yeah." Josh dropped it back into his pocket, "I grabbed it this morning."

I growled at him,

"That's not right, Josh!"

I guess I was upset because it was my _dad_ that he had stolen from.

"Why'd you do that, Josh?" Seth asked him.

"It's that stuff Collin was injected with. I thought maybe if the pack could see it themselves things would calm down a little."

Noelle, who was still covering her ears, tried to leave the room. Josh grabbed her arm and pulled her close to his chest and hugged her so she couldn't…or rather, _wouldn't_ leave.

She had stopped singing, at least.

"That's not gonna work," I said.

"Yeah, well, you know what else?"  
"What?" Seth was very interested in all this.

"I looked at a few of Ol' Quris' papers. He didn't need to inject it into Collin. You can drink it too. Either way there's an instant reaction to it."

"…That's interesting…" Mumbled Seth.

"There has to be a good reason my dad chose to have it be a shot instead," I stated.

"Whatever you say, Dee," Josh rolled his eyes.

"Josh?" Noelle mumbled, her face squished against Josh's chest.

Josh looked down at her,

"Yeah?" His voice was _so_ sweet when he spoke to her.

"Can we go into a different room?"

"Sure."

"Why does she want to go into a different room?" Seth asked me, as Josh and Noelle left, "I was trying to talk to Josh!"  
"She probably just was embarrassed that Josh was hugging her in front of us. Who knows?"

A moment passed that Seth and I spent discussing the weather. Then Noelle entered the room, followed by a mopey-looking Josh. Noelle looked triumphant as she held up the bottle Josh had stolen,

"I'm _so _good," she smiled, slyly.

"What happened?" Seth asked.

"She asked me for the bottle," pouted Josh.

I laughed,

"Noelle, it's not like you had to really try, he would give anything to you because he imprinted on you.."

"Deanna, shut up." Noelle said to me.

"Yo, what's happenin'?" Taylor joined us. Then he saw Noelle and backed up a few steps, "Sorry. I didn't mean to enter your presence, Princess."

Noelle tried to glare at him but sorta laughed instead.

Alan, Chris, and Kyle moved into the kitchen with Taylor.

"Noelle, what do you plan on doing with the stuff in that bottle exactly?" Seth asked her.

"_Well_- " but before Noelle could finish, Jacob as well as Nessie, Leah, Sam, Emily, Collin, Jared, Kim, and Brady stormed into the room.

"Okay, who has Quris' flask?" Jacob demanded. Noelle quickly gave the bottle back to Josh and then stepped away from him and towards Seth and I.

Josh received at least five different glares.

"Give it to me," Jacob held out his hand. Josh stepped back, away from Jacob.

"No. Not unless you swear not to just give it back to Quris."

"It belongs to him," Sam said sternly.

"This stuff is dangerous, Josh. It shouldn't be messed with," Brady said.

"It forces people to unimprint!" Sam stated, raising his voice at Josh. Josh flinched a little.

"Josh," Jacob demanded again, still holding out his hand. Josh was going to be attacked if he didn't comply soon.

"Seth, Dee." Sam wanted us to stand up and join the rest of them in threatening Josh. Seth stood immediately obeying. I reluctantly got up too.

Josh's eyes met mine and he then he turned his head away sharply,

"You're wrong. This stuff can't hurt me."

"Someone get Noelle out of here," said Brady. Jacob was about to give us the signal to pounce on poor Josh.

Josh rolled his eyes and jumped on the counter, his head almost hitting the ceiling.

"Watch! It can't change me! I imprinted on Noelle! I know what I feel!" In a split second Josh had opened the bottle and emptied it into his mouth. Sam growled.

Noelle looked very scared as Brady grabbed either side of her-gently, and began to lead her out of the room himself.

Josh peered at the empty bottle, and we all waited for his reaction.

_I guess he was right_. Some of the guys relaxed; nothing was happening. Josh didn't say anything. But then I realized his eyes were getting all glassy-looking and he glanced up at us.

His cheeks darkened as if he was blushing.

"Ouch!" Noelle exclaimed as Brady pinched one of her shoulders too hard. We all looked at them, including Josh.

"Ow! Let go! Seriously!" Noelle complained.

That's when most of us gasped.

Josh had just looked.

_Just_ looked.

That's all he did.

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed, falling to my knees. But Seth caught me before I actually hit the ground.

Everyone saw Seth catch me, and that's when Josh realized how we all knew what happened. He hadn't sprung to action at the sound of Noelle being in pain. He probably hadn't even noticed that he was doing something wrong, because Noelle clearly wasn't in any real danger or serious pain. But after imprinting on someone you always wanted them to feel good, not even slightly in discomfort.

Brady finally let go of Noelle,

"Sorry."

I realized Brady had done it on purpose, to test Josh.

A look of pure humiliation crossed Josh's face. He had been wrong. Utterly and completely wrong.

Brady opened the door and had Noelle come with him out to the backyard.

Seth took a deep breath.

I was still in Seth's arms from when he caught me so I hugged him back.

Everyone else was having their own little freakouts over what had just happened.

Kyle was laughing at Josh.

Nessie made her way through the crowd to Seth and I,

"Dee, I feel bad for him."

I got up and walked over to the counter that Josh was still standing on.

I held out my hand for him to take,

"Come on, let's go over Nessie's house and hang out."

He took my hand and quietly came with Nessie and I out the front door of the house.

"Dee! I'll meet you at your house later!" Seth called to me. From the corner of my eyes I saw him and Noelle get into Leah's car.

_They must be going to my house._

My heart warmed at the thought of Seth being so nice to take care of Noelle.

Josh and I got to the woods and phased, running towards the Cullens' house with Nessie.

Aria's POV

"Aria? Are you doing your school work?"

Embry quickly hid behind a bookshelf as my mom peaked into the basement. I pretended to be writing out a math problem.

"Yes, Mom."

She didn't believe me,

"You're going to be grounded until you catch up on everything."

"I know."

Mom had let Deanna and Noelle hang out with the guys today because they had done all of their school work on time. Ani went to the movies with Dad, Tasha, Elise and Kathleen. But I was stuck home "doing work" because I was behind on my school stuff.

Mom gave me a look and then changed the subject,

"Hey have you seen Collin? He hasn't stopped by at all today yet."

"I don't think he's gonna be coming anymore, Mom."

"Oh, ok," she seemed sad, "Well it was really nice of him to help with all the house work. If you talk to him, tell him I'll pay him if he decides to come back."

"Mhm."

Finally Mom closed the door behind her and Embry sat back down next to me.

We heard the front door open upstairs.

"Hey, Mrs. Brentwood. This is my sister, Leah. Is Aria still here?" Seth's voice filled the living room.

"I guess something's going on. He must be looking for me," said Embry.

Three sets of footsteps marched down towards us. In came Noelle, Seth, and Leah.

"What happened?" Embry asked.

"Oh! Hey Embry!" said Seth, speaking louder than necessary.

"Shh!" I exclaimed.

Embry looked scared as my mom marched downstairs and threw open the basement door,

"Aria! Has he been here this whole time?"

"No, Mom-"

"Embry get out of here! Aria's grounded!"

"Sorry," Embry said, standing up.

"Mrs. Brentwood? Is it okay if he just stays for a few more minutes, we need to talk to him about pack business," Leah said.

Mom sighed and left.

"Josh unimprinted on me," Noelle said quietly, hugging me.

"What? How dare he!"

"It's not his fault if he got the injection," Embry pointed out.

"Yes it is! He shouldn't have done that!"

"Aria doesn't believe in anyone trying it," Embry explained to Seth and Leah.

"It was so awkward afterwards…" Noelle said, "Like Brady was totally squishing me and Josh didn't do anything about it!"

"Wow," Embry seemed surprised.

Deanna's POV

"How do you feel?" Nessie asked Josh, handing him a glass of water.

He shrugged,

"Kinda confused," he admitted.

"About what happened?" I asked.

He looked at me straight in the eyes,

"No. I understand that pretty clearly."

"What did it feel like?" I asked him, almost whispering now.

"Like my mind fell." He whispered back.

I just looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate. He continued, "My focus…everything I used to see…I mean, it used to be just her. But now it's all new again. Everything. Like I can see it all now again. She's still Noelle. And…I mean, if I think about her I like her." He smiled, "Noelle's nice."

I raised my eyebrows and laughed,

"You sound delusional. 'Noelle' and 'nice' don't go in the same sentence unless 'is not' is in-between."

He furrowed his eyebrows,

"She is kinda mean sometimes…." He laughed, "But she's still a sweetheart."

"Well _I'm_ personally glad you and Noelle aren't over, at least," said Nessie.

"No," Josh sounded happy.

"So what's different?" I asked Josh.

"I don't always think about her," he said, "Like I can…I don't know. Think like a normal person."

"You sure she knows you still like her?" I asked.

"You're right. I should go talk to her," Josh agreed.

"They're next-door," Nessie said.

"We know," I told her, "Thanks for letting us stop by," I added.

When I opened the front door to my house, I saw that my dad, Tasha, Ani, Elise and Kathleen were home.

"Hi, Josh!" Kathleen said.

"Hey," Josh replied.

Aria was arguing with my mom in the kitchen and I could hear my dad, Seth, and Noelle in the basement.

Josh and I walked down into the basement to join them.

When we got there, Noelle and Josh hugged and Josh whispered to her (too quietly for my dad to hear) that he thinks she's pretty.

Then my dad asked Josh why he stole the bottle.

"I was trying to end the whole disagreement with the pack," Josh answered.

"You wanted to convince them it was a good thing?" my dad asked.

Josh shook his head,

"No. I was sort of suspicious of it myself," he admitted.

My dad laughed,

"Then that was sort of foolish to drink it."

Josh shrugged, blushing and looking down at his feet. He and Noelle were holding hands.

"Let's go upstairs," Seth whispered into my ear. I nodded and followed him to my and Ani's room.

Ani was listening/singing along to her iPod.

"Can you give us a second?" Seth asked her. She gave us a suspicious look but left all the same.

Seth closed the door.

"I have something for you," he said to me.

"What?"

I locked eyes with him.

"I love you," he announced.

"I love you too," I replied.

"I want to show you that this is no mistake. That you have nothing to fear."

"I don't fear anything."

"I want to prove myself to you, Deanna."

"…Seth, I believe you…you don't have to do anything for me."

"I want to, Dee…You know what they're all saying…"

"About?"

"The liquid thing Quris made. He says it's called 'Parco Emendatio.' Everyone's saying it just makes you unimprint."

Seth pulled us down to sitting on my bed. He stared me straight in the eye and pulled out a small bottle with the 'Emendatio' stuff in it. He slowly lifted it to his lips, still staring right at me. He tipped the bottle, allowing the liquid to slide down his throat, his eyes never leaving mine. He swallowed it down. I reached out and placed my hand on the side of his face.

I know he could hear my heart picking up speed. It was a weird feeling; I believed nothing would happen but…I didn't like it being risked all the same.

He smiled a small smile,

"All I see is you."

I felt relief wash over me.

"This means that Quris is right. It doesn't just make everyone unimprint," Seth said. I nodded,

"Poor Josh."

**Please Review!**

**(**Also please check out my other story 'Burning at Midnight,' it's going to sort of collide with this story soon and I think you'll like reading it beforehand. The story doesn't have many reviews mostly because all of the characters in it thus far are not from the books and, you know, it's not like my 'When I Looked Twice' story which (for instance) you can just search for the characters 'Jared' and 'Kim' and it will be listed. Okay I'm done with my advertisement. =)


	45. We Won't Tell

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 45: "We Won't Tell"

Seth's POV

"_You were telling the truth_." Deanna and I were in wolf form.

I smiled at Deanna's comment, since we could now read each others thoughts she had proof that the 'Emendatio' stuff Quris had given to me hadn't made me unimprint on her.

"_Hear that? She thought you were a liar, Seth."_ Katie was in wolf form too. We shared a shift with her.

"_Thanks, Katie,_" I replied unenthusiastically to her.

"_No I didn't," _Dee assured me.

"_I know," _I promised her back.

"_You know, I think I'm the unluckiest wolf-person in the pack. I have to spend three hours with you two!_" Katie commented. I rolled my eyes,

"_Trust me, Dee and I have it worse. And it's _Four_ hours,_" I corrected Katie, _"." _

Deanna chuckled.

Katie's feeling became quickly hurt,

"_You guys are no fair."_

Deanna felt bad. I did too.

"_Sorry," _I apologized.

"_We were just kidding," _Deanna added, _"We don't mind being with you_._"_

"_I can read your minds, Deanna."_ Katie reminded her, unwilling to believe that we 'didn't mind being with her.'

"_It's Dee_," Deanna said, not liking it when the pack called her by her full name.

"_Ugh well it's hard to still call you that when Seth is always calling you Deanna in his head!"_ Katie exclaimed.

"_It's okay, nevermind," _Deanna tried to end the arguing.

"…_Do you think Jacob is going to make us all drink that stuff since Seth proved it works?"_ Katie asked.

"_I don't know," _Dee answered.

"_Jake wouldn't _make _us do anything_,_" _I told her.

A new stream of thoughts joined ours,

"_Oh, hey, guys, what do you think is better: a hug or a kiss?" _

"_Hi Brady!" _Katie was excited that Brady had been early for his shift.

"_Katie, don't go anywhere,_" I warned her, _"It's not eleven yet_."

"_I know, I know,"_ Katie was annoyed with me. Meanwhile, Brady was considering going back to his human form in order to avoid Katie.

"_No, really, she can leave. The rules are that there only has to be three." _Brady said.

"_Yay!_" Katie exclaimed, trying to phase. She wasn't as good as controlling it as the rest of us were.

"_You have to calm down," _Dee reminded her, trying to be nice.

Finally the girl left.

"_Why do you want to know whether a hug or kiss is better?" _Deanna asked Brady.

"_I don't know, I just want to make Audrine feel special and-"_

Brady stopped as Josh and Alan both joined us.

"_We're here," _Alan announced.

Brady sighed,

"_Last second, as usual_."

"_Actually we were here at 10:59 exactly so we were technically early." _Alan smirked.

Brady sighed again.

"_Hey, Dee," _Josh greeted Deanna.

"_Hi, Josh," _she replied.

"_Hey," _I said to him. Upon hearing me, his thoughts took a turn in doubt. Remembering that I proved the 'Emendatio' stuff to work and actually correct imprinting 'mistakes' (instead of just making me unimprint,) he began to wonder what it meant that he _did _unimprint.

"_Well, it's eleven. Time to go,"_ Dee reminded me, nudging her furry head into my shoulder. I quickly phased back into my human form with her.

"Where do you want to go?" Deanna asked me after we were both back into our clothing.

"You don't have to go home?" I was excited.

"Well…" she widened her eyes, looking away and laughing, "I'm in no rush."

Disappointment ran through me,

"I don't want you to get in trouble," I told her.

"Hey," she playfully hit my arm, "Don't worry about it. Ani will cover for me."

At that I laughed,

"Ani? Yeah, _sure_."

"My parents won't care," she told me.

"Really?"

"Probably."

I sighed and then smiled, giving into her. I put an arm around her,

"We could go anywhere we want, really…"

She looked at me,

"You want to go to Jake's, don't you?"

I smiled,

"Yeah…it's a good choice, you could hang out with Nessie."

"She's at Jake's this late?"

"…I don't know. Maybe."

"I don't think her family would let her. Maybe though," She said.

"Worth a shot," I said, hoping she would want to go.

"Okay."

"Really?" I double-checked to make sure she would be happy.

"Yeah, let's go."

We decided to go in our human forms, not wanting to be disturbed by Josh, Brady, and Alan's thoughts by phasing into our wolf forms again.

When we got there, the door was unlocked as always so we just let ourselves in.

"Jake?" I called, as we closed the door behind us.

"He's not here." Dee and I were surprised to see Quil.

"Where is he?" I asked.

Quil shrugged,

"I think he's at the Cullens'."

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"Embry and I were going to hang out with Jake, and when we saw that he wasn't here we decided to wait around for a little while." I could hear Embry in the other room.

"Oh, can we wait with you?" Dee asked. Quil gave her a blank look,

"That wouldn't really be a good idea," he glanced back at me.

I figured they were doing some guy-only thing.

"Wait, why isn't Embry at my house?" Dee questioned.

"Huh?" Quil was confused.

"Embry usually is with Deanna's older sister, Aria," I explained to Quil.

"Oh."

"He can come back with me if he wants," Deanna offered.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Jake?" I hoped, but when I opened the door I saw who I believed to be Brady's frizzy-haired, much older, imprint, Audrine.

"Oh, hi, guys!" She said, being friendly, "Where is he?" She asked Quil.

"Brady's on his shift…" I said, confused.

Quil patted me on the shoulder,

"You might wanna leave," he tilted his head towards Dee, hinting that it was a bad idea for her to be here.

"She's gonna find out later, anyways," I reminded him. There's really no secrets amongst the pack.

Quil looked anxious as Deanna and I followed Audrine into the bathroom, where a very sick-looking Embry sat on the floor.

"Poor thing," Audrine said to him, kneeling down and placing her hand on his forehead, "You look awful, Darling."

Embry opened his eyes,

"Thanks for coming, Audrine."

"I hope Brady's okay with this," mumbled Quil.

"What happened? You drink too much again?" I asked Embry. Embry kind of chuckled,

"Yeah. But," he held up a familiar-looking small bottle, "I lost track of what I was drinking."

I expected Deanna to gasp like she had with Josh, but instead she remained quiet, just widening her eyes.

"Did Quris give you that?" I asked him, "He gave me a bottle."

"No," Embry shook his head, "It was that other guy, you know, his assistant."

"Zachary," Dee whispered. I think she was nervous being around a bunch of people that were so much older than her. I put my arm around her waist.

"So…what happened?" I asked.

Audrine gave me a look. Quil looked down at his feet.

"What? He hasn't said yet!" I defended, still curious.

"Let's put it this way," Embry said, "We can't tell Aria."

"What? You're not gonna tell her?" Audrine sounded upset.

"She doesn't think anyone should try it," Embry said, "She probably will never speak to me again if I tell her I unimprinted."

"You're right," I said.

"So we have a deal?" Embry asked us. No one said anything. "Oh come on, think about what happened when we told Quris about Collin. We have to let people keep their secrets!"

I looked at Dee and she reluctantly nodded.

"We won't tell," I promised. Embry smiled,

"Thanks."

**Please Review!**

Any predictions?


	46. I'm Not His Pigeon

_7-Eleven _

Chapter 46: "I'm Not His Pigeon"

**Author's Note: I told you there were going to be lots of surprises! Don't worry, they're almost over. Almost. Thanks for reading! =)** –Ria M. Write

**P.S. Special thanks to Noe for this chapter! **

Noelle's POV 

"It doesn't make sense," I told Ani with a thoughtful face, "How could someone unimprint on someone, and further yet, _me_! I mean, everybody would die to go out with me!"

My older sister shrugged,

"He's just weird."

Ani and I were now plotting ways I should break up with Josh. Ani actually enjoyed it, she was glad that she was involved in it.

The plan without edits was that I walk up to Josh and say, 'I think that we should go our separate ways now, so, bye.' And then hand him something that was one of our memories. That would make Josh heartbroken… and I would walk away.

Just then, Deanna came in. I had a brilliant idea.

"Hey Deanna," I began, "_Say_, could you tell me if Josh was thinking about me lately?"

"Yeah," she answered, "He was actually planning of ways to break up with you."

"WHAT?" I exclaimed.

Deanna laughed,

"I'm just kidding."

"That's not funny." I pouted. Ani was laughing. Deanna must have heard what Ani and I had been talking about.

"Don't ask me anything about him," Deanna requested, "I don't want to get into your business."

Analiese's POV

Deanna grabbed something from her desk (we were in our bedroom) and turned to leave. But her eye caught something on my desk,

"Nice picture," she teased, raising her eyebrows. The photograph she was talking about was of Josh at the beach, smiling at Noelle (who was behind the camera) and it had been taken on Noelle's birthday. She planned on giving the picture to Josh right after she broke up with him.

Noelle giggled,

"I know, right? He's probably gonna start crying."

Deanna didn't say anything, just left the room.

"Noelle," I said, "We have to make you look dazzling for when you do the break up."

"Right," said Noelle, and her and I walked to the closet.

"We need to get something flashy," I suggested.

"And sexy," added Noelle.

"Did I just hear what I think I just heard?" Aria's voice called, entering the doorway, "You're like twelve, Noelle! You can't wear something that's-"

"Bye, Aria!" Noelle shut the door on Aria. Aria tried to stop her but I helped Noelle and…well, Aria's kind of _really_ weak.

"I'm watching you!" Aria warned, walking away.

"No you're not!" Noelle called back.

"But not _too_ showy," I said, making sure Noelle wouldn't get too carried away with the outfit. Aria was sort of right.

"Yeah, and pretty," Noelle agreed.

And on and on we went until we finished looking through everyone's closets and ended up finding the perfect outfit with everything mostly being Noelle's, plus our mom's earrings and my necklace.

The doorbell rang then, and I rushed downstairs while Noelle put on her outfit.

I opened the door. It was Taylor. He looked at me. I looked back at him.

"…What? You aren't going to run away covering your nose?" I said harshly.

"You're still upset about that?" Taylor asked.

I crossed my arms and looked away, not saying anything.

"Ani, I just want to be friends with you again."

I still kept my eyes on the wall, away from him.

"We can go to the movies again?" Taylor offered, trying to persuade me.

_Yeah, way to be 'just friends' by asking me out._

"What's this I hear?" My dad approached behind Taylor. Taylor and I moved by the stairs to let my dad and Zachary pass into the house.

Zachary smiled a sort of 'knowing' smile. It confused me.

"You want to go to the movies with my thirteen year old daughter?" My dad continued, questioning Taylor. The boy looked uncomfortable,

"Yeah," he said quietly, kind of scared I hope.

"And how old are you?" My dad asked Taylor.

"Thirteen," Taylor responded. My dad and Zachary looked surprised.

"I guess some of them stick with their own age," laughed Zachary.

My dad shrugged,

"Maybe your son's the only _really_ perverted one."

"What?" Taylor and I both asked at the same time. _Who's Zachary son?_

My dad looked caught off-guard,

"Sorry," he said quickly to Zachary. Zachary shrugged, forgiving my dad.

"Are you going to be at the meeting today?" My dad asked Taylor.

Taylor nodded,

"Jacob switched around everyone's patrol times so we can all go."

"Then who's gonna watch out for bloodsuckers?" Zachary asked.

Taylor ran a hand through his short-cut hair,

"We haven't had any problems since Charles. Plus Nessie, Jacob's half-vampire imprint, is gonna tell the Cullens to keep a look out during the meeting."

"Good, good," My dad nodded, "Well, I guess I'll see you in a half an hour then." My dad and Zachary headed to the laundry room where my mom was yelling at Aria for not doing her school work _again_.

Taylor turned back to me. Before I could blink he stepped closer to me and grabbed both my hands,

"So, it's a date?"

I stared blankly at him. _What happened to the awkward Taylor_?

"I…"

"Ani! How do I look?" I turned around to see Noelle wearing her outfit we had picked out.

"Good, just fix your necklace," I walked up the stairs to help her.

"Seeya, _Fresh Sizzle_," I heard Taylor say as he closed the front door behind him. I ignored him, happy he was gone.

"Ooooh, did I interrupt something?" Noelle asked. I rolled my eyes,

"Just Taylor being weird."

Dee's POV

I transformed into wolf form and noticed the thoughts merging with mine were Josh's. I hadn't known who I was sharing the patrol with today since Jacob had changed everything around.

"_So Josh, what's crack-o-lackin'?" _I asked him.

"_Nothing much. Kinda stinks we have to do the last shift before the meeting, huh?" _said Josh, who was still trying to figure out exactly how he unimprinted.

My thoughts went to how Noelle was plotting ways to break up with him when he thought,

"_So, that's how she's been spending her time without me. Well, the meeting's not for an hour, I'll go see her now."_

"_Uh oh," _I thought, "_I just started a huge mess." _

Josh's POV

"_How dare she do that to me! I'd do anything for her and she _wants_ to leave me heartbroken? Well, we'll see how much she likes it when I break up with her!" _I thought.

"_Oh, so now it's a game?"_ thought Dee, _"Great._"

I waited until I was close to the Brentwoods' house and transformed into human form. I did still love Noelle; I even still had the excited feeling when going to see her.

I didn't really want to officially break up with her, but since she was planning on it anyways, it was better if I just handle it.

I walked up their driveway, slowly, actually… thinking.

Noelle was still the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, and most of the wolf pack, those who are around my age and haven't imprinted, think so too (though they don't like how mean she is.) I thought there was a possibility maybe I could still date her, but I guess she made the final decision. I tried to stop myself from taking it personally.

I did feel like kind of a free man now. It was kind of cool.

But then again, Noelle's scent, it was so nice, and I always did love Noelle more than she loved me.

Noelle didn't do anything wrong, I did, she was so sweet, and nice, and innocent, and-

_Josh_! I thought to myself_, you need to snap out of it_! After all_, I_ was breaking up with _her_!

I reached the house then, and could hear Noelle listening to 'California Gurls ' by Katy Perry. I could also hear Aria blasting different music in the basement with Elise, Kathleen, and Tasha.

Noelle was sitting on the couch under the front window. I could see her: she was wearing a silver sequence tank top, with dark blue jeans, light blue sparkly earrings, and a fake diamond necklace. Was she going somewhere? Or did she just get dressed up for me? _Aw! That would be so sweet! _

I opened the door, forgetting totally about the doorbell until Noelle said,

"Why didn't you knock?" she sounded surprised.

"Oh," I answered, "Sorry." And I went back out and rang the doorbell as a joke. Noelle gave a very quiet laugh.

I came over and sat next to Noelle on the couch. She backed away.

"So," I began, "Um, listen, I have something to say."

"Yeah, well, I have something to say too," she cut-in.

I knew what she was going to say so I said,

"I'll go first."

Noelle's POV

That was a surprise; I thought that he would tell me that I could go first. He took in a deep breath, which was unlike him, he looked nervous... but in a very not-at-all-Josh kind of way.

He started,

"So, Noelle, I think that we can both agree that what has happened in the last few days has made it clear that we shouldn't be a couple."

I couldn't believe that he just did that, he stole what I was supposed to say!

"Ok then," I replied, "I was just going to say the same thing."

"So then we're in agreement."

"Yep."

Josh just sat there for another minute until I said,

"You know, shouldn't you like be getting back to patrol or something?" It was obvious that I just wanted him to leave, and surprisingly, he looked hurt. He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek, and then left.

Aria's POV

I walked upstairs, realizing that Noelle had turned her crazy, inappropriate music off. I found her sitting on the couch reading my '_Ways Too Feel Better If You Just Got Dumped' _book.

"Um, Noelle?" I said, "What are you reading there?"

"I BROKE UP WITH HIM, OK?"

"Noelle? What's wrong?"

"_I_ broke up with Josh!"

"Um, ok."

"I'M NOT HIS PIGEON, OKAY!" Noelle shouted at me. "I DON'T CARRY HIS MESSAGES!" By this time Noelle had broken out into a sob.

I was in total shock.

"_What's_ going on?" Tasha asked, walking up the stairs.

"Something about Josh leaving Noelle for messenger pigeons," I said quietly to her. Elise and Kathleen were right behind Tasha.

Noelle looked up from where her face had been in her hands,

"...He's moved on already?" she started sobbing harder, "And with a pigeon?"

"Noelle, what happened?" Kathleen asked.

Noelle was sobbing too hard to reply to her.

"I think she broke up with Josh," I answered her.

"Oh no! _You did_, Noelle? Why?" Elise asked, sounding upset.

Noelle just nodded. I wasn't sure if I should try to hug her or not. I was sort of bad with emotional situations.

I pulled out a cell phone from my pocket and dialed Embry's number, desperate for some help.

"Hello?" He sounded tired.

"Hi, do you know what happened with Josh and Noelle? Noelle's like cry-"

"DoN't TeLl HiM!" Noelle exclaimed, shouting.

"Ok, ok, sorry," I quickly apologized to her, "Do you have any idea what happened?' I asked Embry. Embry sighed,

"You know what happened with Josh and his imprint?" I heard him ask someone.

"No," one of the guys replied.

"Did you say Josh? He's supposed to be on patrol right now with Dee," a different guy said.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Jacob says he's in his wolf form right now. I'll go check on him," Embry said, "Be right back."

As I was waiting, Elise and Kathleen had gone over to Noelle and were trying to make her feel better.

Five minutes went by and finally Embry's voice came back,

"They broke up," he said.

"Well, okay, I know that but why is she so upset? She says she broke up with him."

Embry laughed,

"Uh, let's just say, it was sort of mutual. Listen, I'll grab Taylor and go over there now."

"K, bye," I hung up.

"_You_ broke up with _Josh_?" I double-checked with Noelle.

She wasn't really crying anymore,

"Yeah, I totally dumped him!"

"Really?" I asked, "Cause Embry told me that Josh broke up with you…"

"Well, he's a liar, and because of that, you should break up with him!"

I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen,

"I'll make you some tea, Noelle."

A few minutes later, the water finished boiling and I poured it into a mug with an Echinacea tea bag.

I brought it into the living room,

"Here, Noelle, you need to calm down."

"I can't be tamed!" Noelle started quoting Miley Cyrus as Taylor, Dee, Seth, and Embry all came in through the back door. I put the tea down.

Noelle wasn't making any sense at all.

"Embry," Noelle started saying, "Aria broke up with you!" He looked at me blankly, and I shook my head questionably and he understood. Noelle continued,

"Seth, Deanna died," Noelle said while Deanna was sitting on the couch right in front of us, "and Taylor, well, you didn't imprint on Ani, but she moved to California." Noelle finished. Just then, Ani walked downstairs,

"I did what…?"

"Moved to California," Taylor said to her. Ani nodded,

"Sweet. I'm gonna go tan."

"Wanna go to the cupboard?" I suggested, whispering into Embry's ear. Embry gave me a hesitant look,

"I'm kinda squished in there," he said to me. I felt sort of hurt, I thought he liked being in there with me…

"…Wanna go for a walk?" I suggested.

"I have to go to a pack meeting in like twenty minutes."

"Hey, where's your mom?" Taylor asked.

"She got sort of angry at me and left," I told him.

Embry laughed,

"School work is pointless. You should be a high school drop out like me."

He then leaned in and tried to kiss me on the lips. I was surprised…we were in front of everyone!

"Embry! Ew!" his breath smelled like alcohol. "Did you drink this morning?" I asked, using a hushed voice so my sisters couldn't hear…even though I guess Deanna did.

Embry shrugged,

"A little, but it would take a lot to get me drunk so it's really not that big of a deal."

My eyes widened.

_How could he do that! It's like eleven in the morning!_

It was difficult enough for me to not scream at him every time he said something about him drinking in general.

People shouldn't drink. I was getting upset.

"Embry, please don't drink anymore," I begged.

"Aria, it's not a big deal," he replied.

Finally the guys and Deanna started to leave for the big pack meeting with my dad and Zachary.

Just Noelle and I were remaining.

Noelle's POV

"It's not that I'm upset Josh broke up with me, it's that I wanted to break up with him. I had a whole plan and everything." I explained to Aria.

"Right."

I grabbed some lip gloss, and smothered it all over my face while saying,

"You know, I don't really like him that much anyways."

"Noelle, you have lip gloss on your eye."

"I DON'T CARE! SHUT UP!"

Taylor's POV

"So, essentially, it's meant just to repair the damage Charles caused to bloodline," Dr. Quris finished.

I looked down at the handout Zachary had passed out to everyone. _'Charles Mallory, Turned: 1776' _was at the top. Dr. Quris had spent a good deal of time describing his theory of the bloodsucker's plan. Apparently, according to the handout, Charles had been a vampire since 1776. The rest of the lecture was all about how Dr. Quris had used the Emendatio stuff to help Zachary and he only is trying to help us out too.

Dr. Quris began to pack up his presentation as Jacob, Sam, Jared, Embry, Paul, and Quil all huddled together, discussing what they thought of it all.

I noticed Zachary was sort of staring at Collin. But then he noticed me watching him watching Collin and he whispered something to Quris. Quris handed Zachary another bottle of the Emendatio stuff and Zachary walked over to me,

"Taylor, I think you should try this."

"Huh?"

"It might help you out."

He handed me the bottle. I hesitantly took it.

When I got home later that night, I said goodnight to both my parents who were already in bed and crashed into my bed.

I pulled the bottle out from my pocket and thought of Ani…her skin that was now a mixture of pale and tan, her long, blonde hair, her blue eyes…how agile she was now….how beautiful…and yet my instincts told me to be cautious because of her new vampire-like features. If only I had something that fixed all that…that made me look past everything else and put her above everything else…that helped us along…

I uncorked the small vial.

I closed my eyes and drank it.

**Please Review!**

Any Predictions? =)


	47. The 7Eleven

_7-Eleven_

Chapter Fifteen: "The 7-Eleven"

Taylor's POV 

"Aaahhhh," I yawned, waking up.  
_Did it work?_ I thought to myself, _Did I finally imprint on Ani?_ I looked over myself.

_Nothing looks different, nothing feels different either… _

_Well, there's only one way to find out, by going to the Brentwood's house. _

As I walked up to the house, I spotted Noelle.  
"Noelle, do you know where Ani is?"

She looked at me weirdly, and hesitated.

"Um….she's downstairs, doing school work."

"Thanks!" I had to admit, I did seem happier that usual, but that's only because of the exciting occasion.

_Here's the big moment! Here's when I find out…_

I spotted Ani.

No 'only seeing her', no 'seeing the sun for the first time.' Just the same Ani that I always see.

"…What are you staring at?" She asked me, trying to cover whatever she had been writing in her notebook.

_Why is she hiding that? Noelle said she was just doing school work…_

I saw 'Ani' written on the top.

"What's that?" I asked her.

"What?"

I pointed to the top of her paper.

"My name…" she responded.

"You spell it with just an 'I' at the end?" _That's a weird way of spelling "Annie."_

"Yeah…why does it matter?"

"It's…unusual." I explained.

"…You change into a _giant wolf_ and you're telling me my name is unusual?"

"…Yeah…"

"Well at least my weirdness is named after Anakin."

"What?"

"You know,… from Star Wars…"

"You like Star Wars?"

"You don't?"

"Um…."

"…" Ani gave me a look.

_Well, this is not going as planned. _ And here I had thought maybe I could just imprint on her. As I walked back upstairs and out the front door, I felt my heart rate picking up, scared: _what if I imprint on someone else?_

Ani's POV

"Do you want to help me find Aria? Maybe we can go get some ice cream," Noelle asked me. Because it's Saturday, we can basically do whatever we want.

As we walked upstairs, I noticed Josh hanging around with Seth and Deanna.

Noelle was too lost in conversation to notice.

"I mean, why would she do that?" She asked me, talking about something we had seen on TV.

"I have absolutely no clue." I tried to lower my voice so that the guys over there couldn't hear.

"It's so weird! I mean like OMJ!" Noelle said it with this weird twang that she often uses. She is really saying 'OMG,' but it sounds like 'OMJ' because of the twang.

Just then, Josh approached us,

"Like Oh My Josh!" He teased towards Noelle.

She gave him a really weird 'what the heck' look.

"What?" He asked, "Just 'cause we aren't dating doesn't mean we can't be friends and can't joke around!"

"Uh, yeah, it kinda does!"

He looked a bit hurt.

"Anywayz…let's go Ani," Noelle grabbed my arm and we went upstairs.

Noelle's POV

So, mother finally let Aria drive the old car again, so she decided to take me, Ani, and Deanna out for ice cream.

I know though that she really just thought that I needed to get out of the house because of the whole break-up, but I really am fine.

The only reason she didn't bring Tasha was because she really didn't know about the break-up or anything.

We all were sitting at a table outside of Carvel. I had mint-chocolate chip, as did Ani. Aria had chocolate, and Deanna had lemon.

Aria and Deanna were engaged in a conversation about something like going to town with Dad later.

"So Noelle," began Ani, "Who are you gonna go after now?"

"What do you mean?" I replied.

"Oh, you know. You would never survive without a boy. In California, you had Brandon, and here you have, or _had,_ Josh."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can do fine all by myself. I am only twelve you know."

"Ha! You're talking."

Now Deanna and Aria had stopped talking and were listening to our conversation.

"_Ohhhhhh_," Said Dee, "Yeah, if only Brandon were here. Remember at the soccer game before the crash, we were saying how Brandon was like really _looking_ at you. You can just go out with him now!"

(It wasn't so hard mentioning the crash now that we know Dad is really alive.)

"Yeah!" Aria chimed in.

"Oh my gosh guys shut up!"

Everyone laughed, and went back to eating their ice cream.

None of us felt like going back home yet (except we could all tell Deanna was missing Seth; she was hogging a cell phone talking to him and texting him the whole time.)

So instead we decided to go to the mall, which is about an hour and a half away, because there really wasn't much around us.

It had been forever since we went shopping, and even Aria was grateful.

"No, I want to go get some food!" Deanna and Aria were complaining about how hungry they were.

"When do we ever get to go out?" Ani and I wanted to go to the clothes and jewelry store. We didn't want to waste an opportunity to actually shop.

"Alright fine," Aria decided, "Meet us at the food court at 2:30. We'll take this cell phone, and you guys take that one."

It was 2:00 now, so we had half an hour. Ani and I got right to shopping.

At the moment, Ani was in the changing room, trying on an adorable shirt. We were taking turns showing each other the clothes.

She came out. The shirt was red, with white ruffles.

"OMG, it's adorable!" I exclaimed (I was carefully not to use 'OMJ' anymore.)

"I know right? And it's on sale! But I think I need it in the next size down…"

"You're right, I'll go get it."

I went out of the changing room area and found the place where the shirts were kept.

"No, Mom, I don't need another shirt." I heard a guy's voice say, it sounded so familiar.

"Oh, come on Hun, you're in Washington now, it's colder." said the mom.

I tried to peak over the rack, but could only see the top of a head with light brown hair.

The voices began to fade away before I could get around the rack.

So I grabbed the next shirt size down, and went back into the dressing room.

Ani was waiting for me.

"Here ya' go." I said.

"Thank you!"

After Ani tried that shirt on, and decided that it fit, we bought all 10 items (all on sale) and headed for the food court.

It was 2:28 when we got to the food court. At this point, Ani and I really were starving.

None of us had had lunch, since we left the house at 12:00.

We had been shopping for a while, but it was really fun!

Ani started picking at Dee's French fries, as I started picking at Aria's salad.

We concluded to just stay at the food court, since we really had enough shopping for one day.

While eating, Aria and I were talking about how we should come here more often, since we really never get out.

Ani and Dee were talking about something like who I should go out with. Ugh!

Just then, Ani nudged me really hard.

"Ouch!" I exclaimed.

"Noelle, look at that _totally_ cute boy over there!" Ani exclaimed.

She pointed him out.

"Huh! That's the guy I saw in the store!"

"What?"

"Well, I couldn't really see him, but his voice sounded really familiar!"

"_Ooooooh!_" They all said.

"Shut up!"

But before I could get a better look at him, he was gone again.

"Well, come on," said Aria, "I think that we should get home."

"What," said Ani, "So you can get back in time for dear Embry?"

"Don't even mention him." said Aria.

As we were about to exit the mall, I felt a tap, and a voice say,

"Um, Noelle?"

It was the voice that I heard in the store earlier!

I turned around slowly.

"Brandon! What are you doing here?"

Aria, Dee, and Ani all had stopped and stared with star-struck expressions.

"Um, my dad actually got a job in Forks, so I now live here. My mom wanted me to get some warmer clothes for the colder weather. She's actually waiting in the car for me."

"Oh, well, then I guess you should get going." I said.

"No, it's fine..."

I smiled, and he realized that it was kind of awkward.

"Well, I mean, will I see you around?"

"Um, yeah, I live in Forks too."

"Cool! Then I'll see you soon!"

"Yeah!"

"Can I have your phone number?"

I turned to Ani and took the cell phone from her, trying to remember what the number for it was.

"Here, I'll put my number in yours," Brandon said, taking the phone and giving me his. I put in my number and we traded back.

"See ya.'" He said good-bye to my sisters and left as I waved after him.

I knew that the voice had sounded familiar.

Brandon had gotten a whole lot more hot.

I just then noticed Dee, Aria, and Ani all smiling at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Excuse me, but did you not just see what happened?" Deanna said.

Ani looked at my with huge eyes, and we both squealed together.

"Oh my gosh!" She said, "I cannot believe it! Just when we were talking about him too! Well, there's your new date!"

After we got home, I got a text from Brandon!

It said to meet him at the LaPush beach tomorrow at noon!

I showed Ani, and she totally freaked out!

Collin's POV

I thought about paying a visit to Tasha, after all, we were pretty good friends when I was still imprinted on Jen.

I should also tell her about the huge news that Zachary, or…er, _Dad_ had told me.

I entered the house and saw Tasha sitting on the couch.

"Collin!" She yelled towards me, excited.

"Tasha!" I called back, picking her up and swinging her around as she came up to hug me.

"I'm so glad you're here!"

"Me too, and I have a lot to tell you."

"Wait, first, do you want some Indian food? Deanna and I have it all the time. It's this chicken with sauce and rice. Deanna and I like to mix the sauce and rice together and it's soo good!"

"Uh…sure?" I _was_ pretty hungry.

"I'll be right back."

I waited for a minute or two for her to return with two plastic containers. I could tell they were store-bought instant meals.  
"I just heated it up in the microwave." She explained.

"It smells good!" I said, peeling back the top and digging in with the fork she had handed me.

"So, guess what?" I began. Tasha looked at my curiously as she ate her food, " My I found out what happened to my dad."

"Really? That's awesome!" She said excitedly, "How?"

"Well, apparently I was kind of working with him for some time now. It's Zachary, your dad's assistant."

"Wow! Really?" Tasha's eyes were wide and she looked very excited.

"Yeah! I know; I was _really_ surprised too!"

"Did he just like tell you?" Tasha asked. I nodded,

"Yeah. Last night we had a meeting and he told me."

"Collin? Is that you?" Jennifer entered the living room.

"Hi, Mrs. Brentwood." I was already practically finished with the Indian food Tasha had given me.

"Oh, it's so nice to see you again. How are things?"

"Very good."

She smiled,

"Oh, good…You know, I don't know if Aria told you but I asked her to let you know if you ever want some extra cash you could always come do some more household work with me here and I'll pay you."

"Oh, um, thanks."

Jennifer smiled again and then left the room.

"My mom misses someone helping her with everything," Tasha explained to me.

I felt sort of bad.

"Ah."

"So, are you still gonna live with Brady even though Zachary is here?" She asked me.

"Um, well, I don't really know. Where does Zachary even live?"

Tasha shrugged,

"I think in the place where my dad works."

"Where's that?"  
"I don't know," Tasha admitted, "Sorry."

Aria's POV

After we got home, I used the house phone to dial Embry's number. He hadn't made any plans to visit me today.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hi, Ms. Call! It's Aria. Is Embry there?"

"One second," Embry's Mom replied. Then Embry's voice said,

"Hello?"

"Hey, when are you coming over?"

"Um, not today."

"…What?"

"Look, I'm sorry I've got a lot to do."

"Uh, it's okay, I guess…" My voice was drenched in disappointment. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"I thought you liked the cupboard?"

"Aria, you're upset about that? Come on, stop being so selfish! I was squished in there!"

Tears started to come to my eyes, _he called me selfish!_

"What's happened to you?" I asked, "Are you drunk?"

"No."

"How can you be this mean to me?"

"See! You're so selfish!"

I felt anger now,

"That's it Embry, we're over!"

He laughed,

"You're funny."

"What!"

"Look, I have plans. I'll see ya later."

The call ended. I started at the phone for a second before throwing it against the wall and marching down to my room, and started crying.

Josh's POV

Embry, Collin, and I just decided to visit 7-Eleven gas station and celebrate our bad-luck. How all of us just happened to unimprint, I don't understand. We couldn't even blame it on the Brentwood family because _Seth_ hadn't unimprinted.

Earlier that day, I was thinking about 'Just a Dream,' the song, and how it totally related to my life and Noelle. It really matches it exactly. I keep catching myself thinking about her at the most random times, like when I was talking my little sister Kelsey this morning and I started thinking about how Noelle and her will be best friends when Noelle and I get married…then I remembered I unimprinted. It wasn't meant to be after all.

When we emerged from the forest and approached the gas station, I felt immediate sadness.

I really did still like Noelle. Unimprinting didn't change how I felt about her, just how I didn't see _just_ her. But, apparently, that's not how she feels.

Embry's POV

Had Aria really been trying to break up with me? Was she really over me?

And, say that I hadn't drank that bottle, and I still acted like that, she couldn't break up with me while I imprinted on her!

I honestly don't know if I would break up with Aria on my own will.  
Now that I had unimprinted, I guess that she was kind of boring.

Collin, Josh, and I found ourselves standing in the same parking space that Brentwood's car had been parked on the day we first met them.

No one said a word, just examined the site where things went so wrong.

"Well," Collin finally spoke, "Bad luck for us."

"Yup," Josh and I agreed.

A white BMW 328i entered the parking lot and stopped in front of where the bathroom was. A tall, very attractive girl ran out of the car into the building.

"I'm hungry," Josh announced, staring at his shoes and looking very depressed.

"Me too," Collin sighed, "I don't have any money though," he added, glancing at the store.

"I have enough for a few bags of chips. Embry, you want anything?" Josh asked me. I shrugged,

"I'm good."

"Alright." Josh and Collin walked into the convenience store. The white convertible had parked and I saw a door open. I hid as a tall guy stepped out of the car and moved down the passenger's seat so two other teenagers could get out. One was another guy with red-blonde hair. The other was a tall, muscular, tan girl. She looked Quileute but I had never seen her before in my life. I knew that there must be a reason both her and one of the guys were so tall and muscular.

I watched as the three of them stretched and made their way into the store.

"Excuse me!" The girl who had ran into the bathroom sounded surprised that I had been standing right outside of the door. She had accidently opened it into me. I moved out of the way,

"Sorry," I replied.

She examined me. I figured she thought it was weird that I wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Nice abs," she commented. I blinked,

"Thanks."

She stepped away from the door,

"You can go in now."

"Oh, no, I don't need to. I just was…hanging out."

She raised her eyebrows and laughed,

"Cute."

"What?"

"You're cute."

"Oh."

"You live around here?"

"On the Res."

"La Push?"

"Yeah," I surprised she knew the name. She definitely didn't seem to be from around here.

"You have a girlfriend?"

I hesitated,

"Yeah…"

Josh's POV

As I was paying for Collin and I's food, a guy with his arms loaded up with snacks got in line behind us. Two others joined him. They were arguing about how they were going to pay for the snacks. The guy had a strange accent.

Then I thought I heard him say something about Spain.

I wondered if that was where he was from. He and a girl he was with were both very tall and muscular. The girl looked Quileute. There was another boy with him too but he looked just like any normal teenager.

_Maybe they are shapeshifters or something_…

I figured I better find out,

"Did I hear you're from Spain?" I asked the guy.

**Please Review!**

Song mentioned: "Just a Dream" by Nelly


	48. How'd You Get Those Apples?

_7-Eleven _

Chapter 48: "How'd You Get Those Apples?"

Deanna's POV

Winter boots contacted the floor down the hall. My consciousness found me as the sound reached my bedroom door.

Jolting awake, I opened my eyes and saw Seth's face. I turned on my other side, now facing the door.

A fist was knocking against it.

"Who is it?" I forced myself to speak, still tired.

I heard Seth inhale sharply, waking up. _Oops, I didn't mean to wake him. _

I was going to reach my hand out for him but he wrapped his arms around me and snuggled close to my back before I could do anything.

"Aria. Can I open the door?" The person responded. I yawned,

"No, wait a minute." I turned back to face Seth and smiled when I saw that he already fallen back asleep.

Our patrol doesn't end until 11 every night, so we usually don't actually get into bed until 12. But then, of course, Ani sleeps in the bunk above mine and she tends to talk in her sleep so Seth and I can't fall asleep with her babble. Last night she was so funny, she kept rattling on and on about Taylor being 'weird.' Seth and I had to cover our mouths with pillows so we wouldn't wake her up with our laughing. It was hilarious.

I shook Seth's shoulder, not sure how I could wake him quickest.

That didn't work so I got out of the bed and tugged on the blanket, pulling it off of him. One of his hands instinctually grabbed at it though and I laughed, not managing to get it away from him. He _was_ stronger than I.

"What's taking so long?" Aria sounded like she was suspicious. I bit my lip and tried shaking Seth again. He made an annoyed mumble and then one of his arms took hold my wrist and pulled me against him. He hugged me tightly.

"_Seth,_" I hissed, trying to be quiet enough that Aria wouldn't hear me.

"Deanna…" he mumbled, not really awake yet.

"_SETH!_" I got one of my arms free from his grip and then gave up trying to wriggle free, sighing.

"Hello?" Aria tried to turn the door knob but I had locked it. "Hey! Unlock the door!"

Finally I just kissed Seth, hoping that would work. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked around,

"Oh. I'm at your house…" Seth remembered.

I giggled,

"Yeah. Aria's trying to get in here."

"Oh." Seth got up with me and then hugged me, really tightly and I hugged him back, before crawling out of the window. I closed it behind him and opened the door for Aria.

She had her arms crossed,

"Seth was in here, wasn't he?"

I shrugged,

"What's the big deal? You and Embry _always_ talk at night."

"Yeah well he didn't come over last night."

I remembered that Seth had said something about Embry being mean to Aria yesterday.

"Are you mad at him?" I asked my older sister.

"He didn't visit me _at all_ yesterday!" She sounded pretty annoyed.

"You should talk to him…" I felt bad for my sister, she deserved Embry telling her that he unimprinted.

She looked away and then looked back at me again,

"You and Seth better not do anything stupid," she warned me. She sounded scary.

"He didn't have anywhere to sleep because guests are staying in his room," I explained.

"He can't sleep on his couch or something?" Aria asked accusingly.

"He's too tall," I reminded her.

She rolled her eyes and turned, walking away,

"Excuses for everything," I heard her mumble, angrily.

I closed the door again and glanced up at the top bunk. Ani was still asleep.

Suddenly 'Miss Independent' by Kelly Clarkson started playing from the cell phone on the floor by my bed. I picked it up and answered it, recognizing Jacob's number.

"Hello?"

"There's a bonfire tonight at five."

"Just for the pack?"

"The pack and imprints."

"K. At five you said?"

"Yup."

"Okay. I'll be there."

"Good, bye."

The call ended.

"Party tonight?" Ani teased, apparently awake now.

"Bonfire."

"Ah…Who's invited?"

"The pack and imprints."

"Oh," Ani sounded sad. I felt bad for her, she wasn't allowed to go since no one imprinted on her.

_Wait…just imprints…That means NONE of my sisters can go! _

I didn't like that.

Analiese's POV

It was around 10 and I walked out of the kitchen, spotting Aria lying on her back in the middle of the living room floor.

I stepped over to her and kicked her foot,

"Are you alive?"

She glared at me,

"Leave me alone. I'm relaxing."

I raised my eyebrows and took a bite of the apple I was eating,

"You look weird."

She didn't seem to hear what I said,

"How'd you get those apples?"

I was holding two apples, one in each hand.

"...I went… into the… kitchen…and…took…them…"

Aria got up and ran into the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and went outside. It was freezing with all the snow that was covering our yard still. I zipped up my sweater more and sat down next to Noelle on the bench.

"You know those jeans I got at the mall yesterday?" I asked her. She nodded,

"Yeah. What about them?"

"Well, do you think they're too tight on me?"

"No. Why? Do you think they are?"

I looked down at the jeans (I was wearing them,)

"Kinda. I mean, they don't feel to tight but I don't like want to be one of those people who wear all those really super skin tight jeans that are kind of like 'too much information!' But on the other hand, they do look good on me and I just don't know if it's worth it to return them and get another pair…" I looked up and saw Taylor standing in front of me, looking awkward with his hands in his pockets. I looked next to me and found that Noelle had left while I was talking. I wondered how long Taylor had been there…

"Um, I'm gonna get some pie…" he said awkwardly, stepping towards the front door.

"There's pie?" I heard Noelle exclaim from inside the house.

Taylor held out his hand for me,

"Want to come get some pie with me?" he asked.

There was an awkward silence.

"Sure," I finally gave in, taking his hand and walking into my house with him.

Aria's POV

_I hate pie._

Nothing was going well for me. I was still mad about what happened with Embry yesterday and I wanted to hit something.

I marched downstairs, kicking the door to the bathroom that had my cupboard in it. I jumped down the stairs to my basement. I didn't land on my feet, but instead sort of landed on my knees and then fell to my side. I sighed and crawled over to the small couch. I curled up, hugging my knees. It was cold.

I heard a window open in the playroom and a moment later Embry was at the basement doorway. I turned my head away from him, refusing to even _look_ at him today. He closed the door and walked down the stairs. Once he reached the rugged basement floor, he stopped.

"I'm sorry," he announced.

I still didn't look at him.

"For what? Being squished in the cupboard?"

"For being a jerk to you. I came to tell you something."

I closed my eyes, upset that he hadn't come to make up with me.

He walked over the couch and sat down next to me. I made sure I wasn't accidently touching him.

"I unimprinted on you."

"What?" I looked up at him.

"I unimprinted on you, Aria."

"On me?"

"On you. I unimprinted on you," he repeated.

I glanced at the shelf across the room my dad uses to keep some of his lab stuff on.

Embry nodded,

"I drank it."

"Embry!" my eyes started pouring out tears.

He looked down and then moved closer, hesitantly hugging me,

"I'm sorry. It was an accident."

"When?" I asked.

"Friday," he responded.

I almost choked,

"_Friday_? You didn't tell me?"  
"I'm sorry," he said again. He didn't sound very desperate for my forgiveness, though.

"So, what? It's over? We just," I almost choked again, "break up now? It was all fake?"

He sighed,

"That's why I didn't tell you. I don't want it to be like that."

I didn't say anything, just worked on stopping my tears.

He spoke again,

"If we break up…It's just like we gave up. We're just like Noelle and Josh, just another couple who couldn't handle it."

"You want us to stay together?"

He smiled,

"I don't want us to be just the two people who let their mistakes pick their lives."

"So it's all normal again?" Maybe I was being stupid, but I just wanted Embry to be the same again. I didn't want everything to just be over.

"Yeah. Can we do that?"

I paused, trying to get myself to think clearly.

"I guess?"

"There's a bonfire tonight. Your family isn't technically invited but how about you come anyways?"

I thought about it,

"I don't know…I don't want to intrude…"

"Oh come on, it'll be fun."

I shrugged,

"I guess."

Embry smiled and then I walked him to the front door. He left and then I sat in the dining room where Taylor, Ani, and Noelle were eating pie that my mom had made this morning.

"Are you and Embry all better?" Taylor asked.

"What? Why? What was wrong?" Ani asked.

"Embry unimprinted on Aria and didn't want to tell her because she told him not to drink the stuff," Taylor told her.

I sat down next to Noelle, trying to ignore them.

Noelle looked surprised,

"Wow, Aria…both of us were unimprinted on…"

I just shrugged.

"Wait, why did he drink it if Aria told him not to? I mean, wouldn't he do anything Aria says?" Ani asked Taylor.

"It was by accident," Taylor explained.

Ani laughed,

"An accident? How do you _accidently _drink that?" Taylor chuckled,

"Yeah, it is funny."

"What?" Ani continued, "Did he think it was a _juice box_? A Fruitable?"

Noelle and Taylor laughed.

"That's kind of hard to mix up," Ani finished.

Noelle turned to me,

"Can you give me a ride to the beach in a few minutes? I'm meeting Brandon there."

I took a deep breath,

"Yeah, sure, just make sure you wear a warm jacket and hats and gloves…it's freezing and it's not like you're going to be with Josh who's all warm, remember."

Tasha's POV

Today I asked my dad if he could bring me to work with him.

His lab is really cool. It's underground.

"Dad? What's in this room?" I stood in front of a closed door.

"That's where Zachary stays," my dad told me, "It's just a bed and a dresser."

"Oh. Cool."

"Tasha, come look at this," I looked into a microscope but didn't see anything that looked very interesting,

"What?"

"Do you see those little orange things?"

"Yeah."

"Those are Doritos crumbs," he laughed, "Zachary keeps snacking in this room."

I laughed and pulled my eye away from the microscope.

"What are you working on today?" I asked him.

"I have to make some medicine for a few of the guys."

"Why?"

"They're all going to get sick from drinking the Parco Emdendatio instead of getting it as an injection."

"Sick?"

"Just stomach sick for a few days. It should start in a week after whenever they drank it. So I'm trying to prepare an antidote. The last thing I need is them all getting sick because of me. Half of them still don't believe I'm trustworthy. For whatever reason they think _I_ would want to harm my own tribe. I was just trying to help. I don't want any of them to end up like Zacahary."

"What happened to Zachary?"

"He imprinted on a girl who wasn't very compatible with and no matter how hard he tried, she was never happy with him. It killed him. But he married her and had a baby with her all the same. Eventually things got so bad, he wanted to die. Charles, you know, that bad vampire-"

"He's not that bad," I interrupted my dad, "I met him. He just wanted a necklace-"

"He tried to end the existence of shapeshifters," my dad argued, giving me a suspicious look. "Anyways, Charles ended up fighting Zachary and breaking most of his bones and then left him in the woods. That's when I found Zachary and started my research on creating the Parco Emdentatio for him."

I looked down at my feet. It made me feel weird that Charles had actually hurt Zachary. I didn't want to believe it.

As long as it was only me that Charles had ever tried to hurt, I could think of him as actually being good on the inside. But my dad didn't believe that Charles was anything but evil.


	49. It's Better In The Dark

_7-Eleven_

**Chapter 49: **It's Better In The Dark

Aria's POV

I met Embry near the beach about an hour before sunset. I found myself annoyed at the snow that was being crushed under my boots as he and I walked towards the bonfire. My heart was racing inside of my chest; nervousness was fluttering in and out of my stomach. This was even more nerve-racking then the first time I went to a bonfire. I didn't want to be an intruder, but did I really have a choice at this point? With my arms crossed and my light brown hair hanging loose, I kept my head angled so that I was looking a few steps ahead of me and could just barely keep track of Embry in my peripheral vision. He was wearing a shirt which made me think he must come here in his human form from his house.

I knew my nose and cheeks must have turned pink from the cold because Embry finally made a move to take my hand. I uncrossed my arms and complied.

"So, I'm not supposed to be here, right?" I asked, trying to calm my anxiety.

"Well, yeah, but just pretend like I never unimprinted on you," he answered.

"Will Jacob be mad?" I questioned.

"I bet he won't say anything. Just ignore him and enjoy the legends."

"Kay." But I wasn't satisfied with Embry's advice.

We approached where large logs and a few fold-out chairs were arranged around a fire pit. It looked like everyone was already there. It was _packed_.

_Ha ha, I'm so punny. _

"It's not even dark out yet and everyone's here?" I mumbled to Embry. The fire was barely burning; Paul and Jared were working on getting it going.

Embry sat down on the log closest to us, next to two guys already sitting on. I quickly sat down on the end next to him.

"Hey man," said the young guy sitting on Embry's other side, "This is _only_ for pack members and their _imprints_."

"Keep it down, Nate," Embry told him, not even looking at Nate. I lifted my hand up and brushed a strand of hair away from my face, awkwardly.

Luckily, everyone was talking so I wasn't in the center of attention. I spotted my younger sister, Deanna, sitting with Seth on a blanket near us.

Our eyes met and she waved at me. Then Nessie saw me too and the two of them pointed across the fire where some people I didn't recognize at all were sitting near Jacob. There were two boys and two girls. I didn't look at them for very long before I saw more people joining us from the corner of my eye. I looked and saw Tasha, my dad, and Zachary sitting down on the other side of Jacob. Nessie, who had been talking to Seth and Deanna, quickly stood up and skipped over to Jacob, waving to Jared and Kim on her way.

Once she sat down next to him, Jacob stood up and everyone quieted down.

"Now that we're all here, I'd like to introduce four new members of the tribe," he spoke. The four new teenagers stood up, looking sort of unsure of what they were supposed to do. "This is Courtney," Jacob pointed to a tall, muscular girl who looked Quileute except she had light hair, "And her imprint Jack," Jack had red-blonde hair and looked really pale next to the rest of the guys. He wasn't particularly muscular nor tall, either. "And this is Theresa," Jacob continued. The girl, Theresa, looked less pale than Jack and she also seemed older then him. "And lastly, CJ," It was different to look at CJ. He wasn't like the other pack members, who had their hair cut short and skin dark. His brown hair was just covering his eyes. He was tall and muscular, obviously a werewolf, but his skin wasn't the same shade as most of the Quileute guys'. And it wasn't an in-between shade like mine. It looked completely different. Something was almost odd about it. I wondered if it was just because he was wearing a black and white shirt (it was cold enough that the guys managed to all put on shirts tonight.) I tried to remind myself that I was with Embry, but I couldn't stop myself from thinking he was cute.

CJ cast his brown eyes around the circle and stopped when he saw me.

Deanna's POV

"CJ and Courtney are now going to take turns on shifts with us," Jacob announced. I glanced at Seth. He bit his lip.

I could tell we were both hoping we'd have the same shift still.

"I'm going to organize the shifts by individuals instead of groups for now on," Jacob explained.

I wasn't sure what that meant, but I still prayed Seth and I would be together.

Jacob turned to grab a piece of paper and my eyes drifted over to my dad and my little sister, Tasha. As far as I knew, they weren't invited. But I guess Jacob had allowed them to come. Tasha was watching the new people (CJ, Jack, Theresa, and Courtney) when Collin walked over and started talking to her and Zachary.

"I'll call every person up and tell them their new times," Jacob said, "I'll start with Embry."

Embry (still holding Aria's hand) walked towards Jacob. When he got to the Alpha, Aria let go of his hand and stepped back. She was standing right in front of the new people who were now sitting down again.

"Deanna," a hushed voice said behind Seth and I. We both turned and were surprised to see Noelle and Brandon.

"What are you doing here?" I quickly asked her.

"Remember Aria gave me a ride here earlier?" Noelle answered as Brandon awkwardly examined all the people around the fire.

"You're _still_ here? Aren't you freezing?" Sometimes I think Noelle is an idiot.

"Yeah we need a ride home."

"Well we're busy right now. The bonfire _just_ started."

"Ugh, Deanna!" Noelle was getting annoyed at me. _It's not my fault she didn't think of how to get home!_

"What were you doing for so long?" Seth asked them. Brandon wouldn't look at Seth.

Noelle giggled and then glared at us,

"Seriously. It's cold. Find us a ride home."

"Maybe you should ask Josh," I teased, turning away from her. I felt her hit the back of my head. It didn't really hurt but now she was getting my angry. I wanted to hit her back but Seth beat me to it by grabbing her wrist and saying,

"Don't _ever_ touch her again."

Noelle's face went blank and she pulled her hand away from Seth.

"I'll just go ask Aria," Noelle said quietly, walking away with Brandon. I think she didn't even see that Dad was here.

CJ's POV

"Your shift will be from 1 am to 4 am," Jacob said to Embry. I remembered Embry from last night when Courtney, Jack, Theresa and I had first arrived in La Push.

Theresa nudged me in the side,

"_That's_ his _girlfriend_?" She hissed. Apparently she also recognized Embry. Theresa had tried to flirt with him. The girl who had been holding Embry's hand was now standing in front of us.

The girl's eyes glanced at Theresa. She must have heard her.

Courtney rolled her eyes at Theresa and said, in a friendly voice,

"Hi, I'm Courtney." The girl looked at Courtney and sort of smiled as Courtney continued, "And this is Jack," she pointed at Jack who was acting rather shy.

"And _I'm_ Theresa," introduced Theresa, "You're dating Embry?" She asked.

"Yeah," The girl replied quietly, nodding a little. She kept glancing at me.

"Are you Quileute? You don't really look it," Theresa added.

"Um, half Quileute. My Dad's over there," she pointed, "And two of my sisters are here too."

"Two of them? How many do you have?" Theresa asked.

"Six," the girl responded.

Theresa chuckled and whispered to me,

"It's like the seven dwarfs."

"Hi ho," I said.

Insulted, the girl replied,

"Excuse me?"

_You're so stupid, CJ!_

"I didn't mean it like that! I just mean, hi, my name's CJ, what's yours?"

She raised her eyebrows, probably realizing I have an accent,

"Aria."

_Beautiful… _

"This bonfire is really nice," Courtney commented.

"Yeah," I agreed, conversationally.

"It's better in the dark," Aria told us.

"Aria? Can you give us a ride home?" another girl asked from behind us. She sort of looked like Aria and she was with a boy her age.

"Noelle? You're still here?" Aria left us and walked away with them.

Josh, a guy who I was staying with, walked over to me,

"I can't believe she's here."

"Who?"

"Noelle."

"Who is she?"

"One of Aria's sisters. I used to date her."

"Ah."

**Please review! Thanks for reading!**

**So sorry it took so long to update!**

**-Ria M. Write **


	50. But I Talk To You Guys!

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 50: "But I Talk To You Guys!"

**(Wow there are a lot of chapters…o_O)**

Josh's POV

_-At the end of the bonfire-_

"So, you are both related to all of the other shapeshifters?" The red-headed guy, Jack, asked one of new pack members, Courtney.

Courtney shrugged,

"I guess."

Jack seemed more interested in all of it than Courtney did. The girl werewolf's eyes were swimming deep into the boy's and he seemed not to notice that she was thinking only about him.

"But your hair is so much lighter…" Jack thoughtfully pointed out. Courtney laughed and gently took his hand,

"Yeah, that's true. But does it matter? I'm home now. And we don't have to run anymore."

I figured it must have been stressful for the two of them to leave their families and move here.

_Then again, some days I wish I could just runaway from mine… _All the arguing was getting insane, I felt bad for the new guests in our house.

I looked at CJ, the Spanish shapeshifter who barely looked tan enough to pass as a half Quileute. It was difficult to picture him as part of the pack. I mean, everyone in the pack before this had grown up on the Res and always called themselves Quileute. But here he was, from _Spain, _with a paler kind of milky tan skin complexion, and hair that was longer than it should be for a male shapeshifter. In fact, the only reason I believed that he was one of us was because he turned into a giant wolf. But, really, that's the only thing he has going for him.

I tried to catch his eye but he was staring across the fire. I followed his eyes and ended up looking in the direction of Embry.

I turned back to the Spanish kid,

"Hey."

He looked up from where he was sitting,

"Hola."

"You ready to go? Jake told you your new shift times, right? You remember them and everything?"

I had offered that he and Theresa (this other girl joining the tribe) stay with my family. I thought they might be dating but when they went to bed in the spare room, one slept on the floor.

CJ nodded and looked down,

"Uh, yeah. 11 to 2."

"AM or PM?"

"11 pm to 2 am."

"Ah. Ours don't overlap."

"Oh? What's yours?"

"3pm to 6pm."

"Ah."

I think he was trying to make it look like he was looking down at the ground but I caught his eyes glance up towards Embry again a few times.

"So…Is Embry in your shift or something?"

"What?" he looked back up at me.

I pointed towards Embry,

"Is he with you for some of your shift? You keep looking over at him. Want to talk to him?"

CJ looked away from me over to Embry and back towards me. He smiled as if he thought something was funny and chuckled as he said,

"Oh. Nah, I was just watching the girl he is with."

Suddenly Theresa decided to jump into the conversation, leaning towards CJ from behind him,

"Why? What did I miss?" She asked, moving all of her dark hair to one side of her face.

I looked back over to Embry and saw that Aria was with him. They weren't talking to each other or anything though, just sitting next to each other looking bored. I wondered why CJ would be watching her.

"What's so interesting?" I asked him.

CJ looked at Theresa, there faces really close now,

"Nothing. Want to go now?"

Theresa made a face of exhaustion,

"Yes, please. I did not know camp fire stories could be so _long_."

CJ looked back at me and I blinked,

"Uh, I guess we could leave…." I said. CJ and Theresa stood up and I scratched my head, finding myself remembering how Noelle had showed up before.

CJ and Theresa said bye to Jack and Courtney and then started to walk around the entire circle, saying goodbye to everyone. When they got to Embry and Aria, CJ shook both of their hands and Theresa just waved. But I saw something when CJ shook Aria's hand. The girl was looking at him differently. It scared me. I glanced at Embry to see if he noticed, but he was distracted by Theresa who was staring at him.

I felt anxious as they went past the rest of the people. Finally we got to the woods and Theresa got into the convertible car that she and CJ had brought with them from wherever they were before they got here.

I grabbed the front of CJ's shirt and stopped him from approaching the car. Shocked, he immediately complied and waited for me to say whatever it was I had to say to him.

"Don't be stupid," I said to him, making my voice sound as serious as I could, "Embry's been through a lot. All of us who were involved with the Brentwoods have been."

"Aria?" He asked, making sure he knew what I was talking about. I nodded,

"Yes, Aria Brentwood."

"I wasn't going to try and steal her," he insisted.

An image of Noelle ran through my mind. I would want Embry to do this for me if she was attracted to some guy.

"It's not worth it," I told him, "The Brentwood's aren't worth it," I spoke with an even more severe tone.

CJ nodded,

"Okay, okay. I got it."

I let go of his shirt just as Theresa shouted,

"Come on! I'm tired!"

CJ rolled his eyes and headed towards the car,

"Move into the back seat, Theresa. We can't make Josh sit in the back."

More thoughts of Noelle started to flood my mind. I felt so bad for saying that none of the Brentwoods are worth fighting for. My heart ached at the thought of really meaning that. I didn't. I didn't mean it.

CJ saw that I wasn't following him and turned back around. I was shaking.

"Let's run," he said to me. I nodded, suddenly feeling the age difference between us. CJ was a couple years older than me and right now I felt like he was trying to help me out like I was a new werewolf who had trouble controlling himself…it was humiliating but I was at the same time thankful. Maybe I had learned to control my body, but I was still too young to control my heart.

"Can you drive yourself home?" CJ asked Theresa. He sounded almost like he cared about her.

_Sometimes he sounds like he hates her and other times I could swear he loves her…_

I hoped that maybe I would learn a few things about him in wolf form on the way home. Theresa drove off and CJ and I jumped into the woods. Now in our wolf forms, I felt a little disappointed. I could not read his thoughts. I could not even sense his mind anywhere.

He still wasn't _really_ part of the pack.

Deanna's POV

Seth and I were holding hands as he led the way over to Courtney and Jack. The two were sitting with each other, smiling and talking about how happy they were to be here together. I felt intrusive for being able to hear them.

_What pretty hair_, I thought. Courtney's hair was lighter than most of the Quileute's I've seen on the Res. She sort of looked like my sisters and I, with tan skin but light hair.

As we got close, Courtney spotted us. I felt my cheeks burn as she watched me. I didn't know what she was looking at, but she was definitely staring at me.

Just to relive me awkwardness, I reached up and ran my fingers through my short hair. The curls at the end of it were really obvious all the time now that my hair was cut shorter.

"Hi guys," Seth greeted them.

"Hi," Jack replied. Courtney smiled, still looking at me. I smiled back.

"This is my favoritest girl ever, Deanna," Seth introduced.

_Seth_, I laughed in my head. He always calls me Deanna nowadays, even around people who I want to call me Dee.

"You can just call me Dee," I added, quietly. I was a little embarrassed around these two.

"Oh, are you the _'friend'_ Seth goes to stay with at night?" Jack asked, teasingly.

I wanted to cover my face with a bag. _Ahhh! They already know about that!_

I looked at Seth, laughing awkwardly and hoping he would say something.

"Hey, it's not my fault. You two are staying in my room!" He defended, lightheartedly.

We all laughed for a moment and then Leah walked over to us,

"Is it time to go?" she asked. Seth nodded,

"Yeah. Ask Mom if she'll make us some food when we get home? I'm starving."

Leah bopped Seth on his head,

"You can ask her yourself. I already have to drive you home."

"Actually, you'll just be driving Courtney and Jack. Dee and I can go with Mom."

_Oh sure, _now_ he calls me Dee_. I held his hand tighter, looking at how nice he looked in fire light.

"You can still ask her yourself," Leah told him.

Jack and Courtney stood up as Seth's and Leah's mom approached us.

"They are going to be putting the fire out in a minute, let's get going before it's too cold."

"Mom, Deanna is going to come back and have some dinner with us, okay?" Seth said to his mother. The woman shrugged,

"Okay. I have some leftovers from the lunch I made for Charlie yesterday. He got busy at the station and didn't come." Mrs. Clearwater headed towards the parked cars.

Seth wiggled his eyebrows,

"_Oooh, _Officer Swan!" He teased his mom, quiet enough that only the kids heard him. Leah rolled her eyes at him and the rest of us chuckled.

I found my dad and Tasha talking to Aria and Embry nearby and I pointed to Seth, trying to tell my dad that I was going over his house. My dad looked confused at first but Aria saw me and gave me thumbs up. She would explain it to my dad.

We got to the cars and separated. Seth and I got into the backseat of his Mom's car.

"Mom, I'll drive if you want," Seth offered, though I knew he'd rather sit with me. Mrs. Clearwater knew that too, glancing into the rearview mirror at us as she started the car,

"No, no. I'm fine."

Since it was dark out, Seth's mom couldn't really see us on the way to their house so I found Seth and me constantly leaning in close to each other, our foreheads resting against each others. Ok I'll admit we kissed a few times too. But just once or twice. Or three times.

We pulled up to the house and we met Leah, Courtney, and Jack already in the kitchen.

Seth's mom went to the fridge and Seth sat down at one of the seats and pulled me onto his lap. Leah gave us a look,

"Get a room," she teased. Seth stuck his tongue out at her. Jack and Courtney were standing next to each other and once again I saw that Courtney was staring at me.

"Seth…" Mrs. Clearwater had turned away from the fridge and saw us.

I thought she was going to tell him to get me off of his lap but instead she just looked at us for second and then shook her, looking down a the food she was getting and telling him something in Quileute. The pack had been trying to teach me but I still didn't know that much of the Native language so I couldn't tell what she was saying. But Leah couldn't stop herself from laughing despite covering her mouth and Seth narrowed his eyes. _Hopefully he'll tell me later. _

"So, how did you two like the bonfire?" Mrs. Clearwater asked Jack and Courtney, her attention mostly focused on Courtney (probably because she's the werewolf.)

"I liked it," Courtney smiled, nodding.

"Good," Mrs. Clearwater seemed pleased.

"I think it's really interesting that all of the shapeshifters have the same ancestor," Jack said.

"Yeah. We think that's why most of us imprint on Quileute's, because they probably have the gene in them too. Like how Paul imprinted on Jake's sister, Rachel. We're all related."

"When you say it like that it sounds like incest," Leah commented, then she looked at Jack and Courtney, apologetically, "Sorry we don't want to gross you two out. It's really not like that."

Jack and Courtney shared an awkward look.

Then there was an awkward silence.

"Here, eat." Mrs. Clearwater handed everyone their own plate of food, except for Seth and I who she only gave us one plate. She again said something to Seth in Quileute before smiling at me and heading to her bedroom. At least she gave us two forks.

"What did she say?" I asked him.

"Something about how I better be sleeping on the couch when she wakes up tomorrow morning."

"Dee, you said you're half Quileute?" Courtney asked me. I looked over to her as Seth tried to eat around me,

"Yeah."

"Maybe that's what I am too. I mean, because we both have light hair. Did you imprint on Seth?"

"Yeah, actually, he imprinted on me too."

"Oh, wow. We're a lot a like. I imprinted on Jack."

"Cool." _Now I get why she's staring at me, she thinks we are similar._

Jack leaned in and whispered to Courtney,

"Do you think we should tell them?"

"We can hear you, just so you know…" Leah warned him.

"Oh, sorry," he said. Courtney nodded to him,

"I'll do it."

_Do what_?

"We have a confession to make…" She began.

"A secret?" Seth looked excited. We didn't know any real secrets about the new people yet since for whatever reasons they haven't actually joined the pack; in wolf form, we can't read Courtney's mind yet.

"We ran away from our family," Courtney said.

"…We already knew that…" Seth was confused but I think I understood what they were trying to say.

"_Our_ _family_," Jack repeated, "As in only one family."

"We're stepsiblings," Courtney announced, "That's why we were so desperate to secretly runaway."

Leah raised her eyebrows and Seth looked surprised.

"Oh, woah…that's…"

"Weird, wrong, awful, we know…" Jack said.

"But I _imprinted _on him," Courtney insisted, "So we can't help it."

"That's…Less weird than half the stuff that happens around here," Seth laughed, finally finishing his sentence.

"Really?" Jack asked as Courtney smiled.

"Oh hell yeah. You know that Quil guy? He imprinted on a girl _who was two years old_! And Mr. Alpha imprinted on Nessie when she was just a little tiny newborn baby! Oh and there's so many weird family connections with everyone. Like my mom has this new fancy for Charlie Swan from Forks who is the father of Bella who had a half vampire baby with one of the Cullens (the vampire family who we are all chill with) who is the same baby that Jacob imprinted on..."

Jack laughed,

"I feel better now."

Aria's POV

Embry and I stopped following my dad, Zachary, Collin, and Tasha when we reached the cars. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me off to the side of the end of the beach, near some trees that were the beginning of the woods. I thanked God for the concealing darkness as Embry surprised me by quickly leaning in and kissing me. When it was over I was going to thank him for bringing me to the bonfire but he let go of my hand and phased into the woods before I could say anything. Realizing how cold it was without him, I shivered and ran to catch up with the others.

Turning the doorknob, I heard something crash inside of the house. I walked in through the front door with Collin next to me and Tasha right behind us.

"What broke?" I asked, spotting Elise sliding out the hidden door in the doorway to the kitchen.

She just smiled really big,

"Nothing broke," she told me. I shook my head and pulled off my boots.

"It's right upstairs," Tasha told Collin, excitedly.

"Okay," the guy followed her up the staircase into her room where she kept her new pet frog.

I stepped out of the way of my dad and Zachary as the came into the house next.

"Maybe you two could sleep in the playroom, we have two futons there. Or one of you could stay on the futon in the office."

_Collin and Zachary are staying with us?_

"I would like to stay in the office," Zachary answered.

"Ok, so Collin can stay in the playroom," my dad concluded.

"Collin!" Zachary called.

Collin came to the top of the stairs,

"Yeah?"

"How does staying the playroom sound?" my dad asked him.

Collin looked hesitant,

"The playroom?"

"The futons are big enough for you to fit on," my dad told him.

Collin still looked unhappy about the idea and I remembered how when Deanna and Ani had to stay down there they had to put up sheets as walls.

"Dad, there's no door or anything for privacy," I spoke up. My dad nodded,

"Well, you can always trade rooms with the girls."

"Deanna's bed is the only one big enough," I reminded Dad. She has the bottom bunk bed and it is actually the size of two twin beds pushed together. When we were little two of us would sleep on it. Conveniently, when she got taller because of the whole werewolf thing, she already had a bed big enough for her.

_Not that she has the whole bed to herself anymore_, I reminded myself, thinking about how Seth probably stays with every night.

"That would work," Zachary agreed, "You O.K. with that, Collin?"

Collin shrugged,

"Yeah."

"Oh yay! Your room will be right next to mine now!" Tasha exclaimed, dancing with happiness. Kathleen came up to Collin and started to try and pull his arms off. She always tried to wrestle with people, and luckily, the guys are strong enough to take it.

My mom came up from the laundry room and said hello to everyone.

"Zachary and Collin will be staying with us until Zachary can buy a house. Just so they can be together as a family."

"Oh. Good," my mom was happy that Collin would be hanging around here again, I could tell.

Collin seemed to be pretty glad about it, too. I think he might have missed my mom, even if he no longer is imprinted on her.

"Where's Deanna?" my mom asked my father.

"She's over the Clearwaters'."

"Who?"

"Seth's house."

"Oh. It's already eleven, when is she going to be back?" My mom sounded upset that my dad had let Deanna hang out with a boy so late.

"I don't know, she was trying to communicate with me through sign language and it was dark beside the light from the dying fire…Aria translated for me that she was going to Seth's house. Do you know when she's going to be back?" My dad asked me. I bit my lip, realizing I better not say something stupid or Deanna could get in trouble.

"Uhhhhh," I glanced at Collin but he was no help, "She probably just went over for to say bye to the new people, Courtney and Jack…so she should be back in a few minutes…"

_I hope._

"Okay…" my mom took a deep breath and went into the kitchen.

I made my way downstairs to basement (my room) and pulled off my jacket and sweater.

Noelle and Ani were there, sitting on the rug floor with a laptop.

"Ani's so mean! She says I don't talk to anyone below me, but I talk to you guys!" Noelle whined to me.

I rolled my eyes at her while laughing,

"Oh, _thanks_, Noelle!"

"It's true though! You just think you're _so cool_! Doesn't she, Aria?" Ani defended.

I grabbed my favorite sweatpants from the ground near the small couch I use as my bed,

"Don't look at me. I have to change," I told my sisters as I began to pull off my jeans.

I got into my sweatpants and wrapped a blanket around my arms since I was now wearing a short sleeve shirt.

"Oh Ani, you and Deanna have to sleep in the playroom again because Collin's going to be staying in your room."

"WHAT? No fair!" Ani quickly got annoyed.

"Hey, your eyes look kind of funny," I said to her, "kind of black-ish…"

Noelle looked at Ani's eyes closely,

"Woah…Aria's right…"

Ani jumped up at ran up the and into the bathroom. I assumed she was looking in the mirror to see for herself,

"Ahhh! You're right!" She started panicking, "I have to call the Cullens! Noelle, give me the phone!" Noelle and I grabbed the phone and brought it up to her quickly. She dialed the Cullens' number (I was surprised that she had memorized it.)

"Hi, it's Analiese. I was just with my sisters and they noticed that my eyes are turning black."

We waited as whoever she was on the phone with said things to her.

"Right now? Ok. Can I bring Noelle and Aria with me?"

Ani hung up the phone.

"I have to go over there."

"We can come with you?" I asked.

"Yeah."

Noelle and I exchanged a look and then we all ran to put on our coats and shoes. As I put my boots back on I heard Ani explaining where she was going to Mom and Dad. Dad asked if he could come with us and Ani didn't want him to but he decided to go anyways.

We ran across our front yard in the deep snow until we got to the woods, then we slowed down a little so we could navigate our way through the trees in the dark. Noelle and I was shaking we were so cold by the time we reached the Cullen's front yard. We made it to their porch and Ani frantically knocked on the door. She wasn't as out of breath as we were.

Esme answered the door and we all walked in, our dad last.

He said hello to her and apologized for coming uninvited.

Noelle and I then sat on the couch in their living room as Carlisle talked to Ani in his office with our dad.

Pretty soon Nessie joined us.

"Hi again, Aria,"

"Hey," I had seen her at the bonfire earlier.

"You're not asleep?" Noelle asked the girl.

She shrugged,

"I just got home."

Noelle nodded,

"Oh, right."

"I called Dee," the beautiful girl told us, "She's going to come here."

"Good," I said, "I told my mom that she was going to be home soon."

Analiese's POV

After an awkward conversation between Carlisle and my father, Carlisle told me that was probably happening was that the vampire part of me wants blood and I haven't had any since last time I was here.

"Just so that there isn't any danger of you being a threat to anyone because you're thirsty, I think it is safest if you drink some blood," Dr. Cullen explained. I nodded. "Maybe Nessie's up for a hunt," he smiled. My eyes widened. I could not imagine myself killing an animal just so my eyes would go back to blue.

A picture of a poor, helpless deer played in my mind and I shook my head rapidly,

"No, no, please I don't want to-"

Carlisle realized I was upset and his face quickly turned to an empathetic expression.

"It's okay, luckily, I have some blood in the fridge…but it's not very fresh, I warn you."

I was so thankful,

"That's okay."

He left the room and came back with a glass filled with thick, red liquid. I would expect my stomach to turn in disgust at the morbid image but as the he got closer with the glass I find myself breathing in the scent and my throat beginning to burn. I was _so_ thirsty. And no matter how disgusting or morbid it was, I wanted to gulp down the whole glass of the delicious stuff. I took the glass from him and drank the entire tall cup within the same minute. _I don't think I've drank anything that fast before_.

Once it was gone and my thirst was quenched, I wondered what I thought was so good about the blood. It really didn't taste _that_ good to me, but I guess some of my body just _needed_ it.

Awkwardly wiping my mouth clean with my hand, I looked at my dad. He was looking at me strangely. Maybe it was weird for him to see his daughter acting like a vampire when he had dedicated his entire life to reverse the damage 'bloodsuckers' had done to his tribe- to his friends. But I couldn't help it, I was part vampire. Only a little bit, I did still feel like I owed them some loyalty. It wasn't their fault that they craved blood. And the Cullens weren't bad people. _I_ wasn't a bad person.

I walked downstairs and found that Deanna was there now too. I walked over to her and for a moment I realized that we were like two completely different type of humans…yet we were _twins_. I was part vampire and she turned into a giant wolf. She had short hair that curled at the ends and I had long hair that at the most had a few waves in it.

"You okay?" She asked me. I nodded,

"Yeah, I'm better now." I looked at my hands, which had some dried blood smudges on them from when I wiped my mouth.

Just then, the door opened and Taylor walked in.

"I heard you were…um…" he tried to find the right words to say to me.

"I'm fine now," I told him.

"Good," he looked at me with a kinder expression, "We still on for a movie? I'm free tomorrow."

"I'm going to the movies with Brandon tomorrow too," Noelle told me, "Aria can you give us a ride to the mall?"

Aria nodded,

"I guess, sure."

"I never agreed to going to a movie with you!" I told him.

"Please?" He asked, cheeks reddening probably because my sisters and Nessie were staring at him.

I crossed my arms. He sighed and walked over to me, placing one of his hands on my left shoulder and pulling me into the kitchen,

"Please, Ani?" Just then his eyes caught sight of my hands and I could tell he was examining the blood stains.

I looked away from him,

"Maybe I _would_ if you didn't just _assume_ that I want to."

"But you do want to," he looked back up at me, seeming undisturbed by the blood.

I glared at him. "Okay, if you go with me I promise you I won't annoy you ever time I see you…which would be a lot because I'd follow Seth or Josh around," he bargained.

I kept my glare on,

"Fine. But don't think I like you or anyth-" I stopped myself as a huge smile spread across Taylor's sweet face. Standing there, staring at him with my mouth open, trying to figure out what was going on, I felt like I was being trapped, like somehow I had played into his little plan. Maybe his 'sweet' smile was more devious than it appeared.

"See ya then," he spoke.

I inhaled and tried to compose myself,

"What time?"

"My shift is over at 10 AM tomorrow," Taylor told me.

"I have to do schoolwork until 11 though," I reminded him, "And then I have chores and it's my job to clean the entire living room. Plus it takes awhile to get to the mall."

"So…three?"

"No, because I have to have time to get ready too, and what about if there's traffic? How about I'll meet you there at 7?"

Taylor nodded,

"Ok. I'll pick out the movie."

We walked back into the living room and Taylor awkwardly hugged me goodbye and left.

Aria and Noelle stood up from the couch and we all walked home together while Dad stayed to talk to the Cullens longer.

Seth's POV

Around 2am, I finally was able to sneak out of my house and head to the Brentwoods'. I missed Deanna already. And my neck hurt from trying to sleep on the couch for an hour.

Jake, Jared, and Brady were on shift until noon tomorrow, when the new shift times start. I decided I didn't want to be offered to take their place so I tried to stay out of their conversation as much as possible while I was running to Deanna's house. I finally got there and jumped up to where her bedroom was, trying to be as quiet as possible. The window wasn't open so I had to hold on with one hand as I pushed it up. It was kind of tricky but I managed and jumped into the room. Exhausted, I stumbled into the bed. But the body lying under the blanket was kind of bigger than I expected...

I heard the person gasp and pull the blanket off of their face, looking right at me.

I was now lying on top of Collin. _Whoops._

"Woah, what the heck are you doing here?" I asked him.

"Uh, _trying to sleep_? Man, you're heavy," Collin complained. I rolled off of him, now lying on the part of the bed next to him.

"Oh…you're staying here? No wonder Brady seemed so sad…he's going to be lonely."

"Yeah," was all Collin said before turning away from me.

I realized it was weird that I didn't mind being in bed with him so I nervously laughed and crawled over him and off of the mattress, noticing that Ani wasn't in her bed either. Instead, a snoring dog had somehow made its way up on to the top bunk.

"Where are they?" I asked Collin. He ignored me so I poked him, "Collin! Tell me."

He turned to face me again and gave me a look like I was creepy,

"They are sleeping in the playroom. Please go away." I sighed and I opened the door to tip-toe out into the hallway and past the other two bedrooms. As I slowly moved down the first short staircase, I heard footsteps. I froze, thinking of somewhere I could hide. But as I sniffed the air, I realized it was _paw_ssteps I was hearing. Stacy (the dog Collin had gotten for the Brentwoods) came up behind me. I wondered how it had climbed down the latter but my thoughts quickly changed to frantic-y as the dog stopped smelling my feet and started to growl.

"Shhh! Shhh! Good doggy!" I whispered, trying to calm it down. It barked. "No! Please! I'll do anything! Want a cookie? Where do they keep your treats?"

The dog barked again and I heard Mrs. Brentwood get out of bed. Collin got up too and gave me a look from the doorway of the bedroom he was staying in,

"You idiot," he mouthed. Then he waved for me to keep going. I quickly stepped down the last step and crouched down at the top of the staircase that leads down to the playroom. I closed my eyes and held my breath. Mrs. Brentwood opened her bedroom door. Stacy followed me and stood next to me, barking again. I kept my eyes closed, willing my body to turn invisible.

"Sorry, Jenny, Stacy wants me to take her for a walk; I'll be back in a few minutes." Collin covered for me.

"Oh, ok. I thought maybe Bob was home. Stacy's leash is in the coat closet." I stayed frozen as Mrs. Brentwood went back into her bedroom. Collin walked down the stairs and put a leash on Stacy, who was still growling at me.

Collin gave me another look and then went outside. I let out my breath and went down the rest of the stairs, entering the playroom. One futon was set up as a bed and I found that Deanna and Ani were asleep in it. I smiled and crawled under the blanket next to Deanna, kissing her head and hoping I would wake up early enough that no one would notice I was ever here.

**Thanks for reading! Sorry I know this is a really long chapter! But please review! **

**-Ria M. Write **


	51. And the Closet Has No Door

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 51: " …And the Closet Has No Door"

Noelle's POV

"Hey Ani, do you think that I should wear the same outfit that I wore when I 'broke up' with Josh?" I asked my older sister.

Brandon and I were going to go to the mall for lunch and then a movie. Meanwhile, Ani would also be going to the movies, with Taylor. I didn't want to see the same movie because that would just be weird… _like a double date!_

"Hmm, yeah, that was a really cute outfit! What do you think that I should wear?" She asked me.

"Why don't you wear the shirt that we bought at the mall and some jeans?" I suggested.

"The green one? Yeah, I like that shirt. Good idea."

"Hey guys, what's up?" Deanna came into the room, "Going on some dates now, are we?"

"Shut up, Deanna," I snapped at my _other_ older sister. After all, we really didn't want our mom (who was in the room next to us) to hear. We told Mom and Dad that Aria was going to take Ani and I to the mall…no boys were mentioned.

"Well, later!" She called over her shoulder as she left the room.

Deanna's POV

I phased into my wolf form to try and find Seth. It was around 5 O'clock and at the time he was on shift with Quil and Josh.

"_Hey guys," _I greeted them.

"_Hi," _Seth's thoughts resorted to being completely thankful that I had come to visit him. He must miss having a shift with me.

"_How's it going?"_ Josh asked me.

"_Oh, you know, the usual. I had to get out of the house. Ani and Noelle were getting all girly about their 'double date.' I'm still surprised Taylor talked Ani into going to the movies with him and Noelle and Noelle's new boyfriend." _

"_WHAT?" _Josh was furious (though he probably didn't want me to know that,) "_Noelle doesn't have a boyfriend!"_

"_Uh, yeah she does! Well, actually, by the end of the night she will!" _

A quick flash of an idea went through Josh's head. He was thinking about going to spy on Noelle and her date.

"_No, Josh! Don't you dare!"_ I tensed, but he was already out of his wolf form.

"_Gosh, why do I always have to start the conflicts between Josh and Noelle?"_ I thought, realizing now I'd have to stay in wolf form for another hour as Josh's replacement.

"_I'll stay too," _Seth assured me. _I guess there is a brightside…_

Analiese's POV

After Aria dropped us off and gave us a cell phone, Noelle and I stuck together until we found our 'dates.'

I spotted Taylor just seconds before Noelle spotted Brandon.

She also took the cell phone because Aria said she was more likely to answer it. Whatever.

Taylor was, like usual, in his jean shorts, but I think that it's the first time that I've ever seen him with a shirt on. It was a simple, blue T-shirt.

"Catch you later," Noelle said in a super-girly voice before walking off to meet Brandon. I took a deep breath and prepared myself to go on _date_ with Taylor.

So far, I've had a really bad day. To begin with, I was up late reading this really good book. Which is fine and good, except at like 2 in the morning _SETH_ crawled into bed with Deanna and I. He fell asleep before he noticed that I was awake but that was just the beginning of the craziness. An hour later (roughly 3 am) my dad finally came back from the Cullens' house. The problem? My dad _always_ checks on us before he goes to bed. Which, usually isn't any big deal. But what would happen if he saw Seth cuddling with one of his precious daughters? Part of me wanted to just hide my book and pretend to be asleep-let Seth get in trouble. And originally, I did just that. But then I heard my dad walk towards the stairs and I just _had_ to warn Seth. My dad moved into the kitchen for a snack and I sat up. Leaning over Deanna, I shook the stupid werewolf boy. He didn't wake up. _Oh come on, seriously?_

"_Deanna died," I whispered into his ear. First his arm twitched. Then he suddenly sat up. Deanna did too. _

"_Oh my god, I just had the worst dream ever," he whispered to Deanna, sounding depressed. Then he wrapped his hands around her face and kissed her right on the lips. It was disgusting. I shook Deanna and they stopped their lip-sucking. _

"_Dad's right upstairs!" I whispered, desperate, "Hide him!" My twin sister's face turned into horror, and I could see that she was thinking of what to do. Seth just looked flat out terrified,_

"_Oh my god, I can't get caught!" _

"_Don't worry," Deanna told him, taking his hand, "Go hide in the closet in the back of laundry room, there are lots of long dresses and coats to hide you and he won't go in there." _

"_Okay." Quickly, Seth got off the futon and rushed into the laundry room. He wasn't all that stealthy about it though, we could hear him climb into the closet and everything._ Hopefully Dad will just think it is Stacy._ Dad's footsteps approached the stairs and Deanna and I quickly lied back down, pretending to be asleep. _

_Dad walked down the stairs and peered into the room. Then, just when we thought he was going back upstairs, he went into the laundry room! Deanna and I looked at each other, our eyes wide. Something lit up under the blanket. Deanna grabbed the cell phone and read the new text message:_

[ Oh. My. God. ]

_It was from Seth. I was surprised he had a cell phone. Deanna texted him back: _

[ Ani's freaking out ]

_I was. It was pretty bad._ _We could hear Dad getting a box of crackers from the storage shelf. _

_Another message from Seth:_

[ SHE'S freaking out? I'M IN HIDING IN A CLOSET AT THREE IN THE MORNING WHILE MY GIRLFRIENDS FATHER IS FOUR FEET AWAY FROM ME…AND THE CLOSET HAS NO DOOR. _I'M_ FREAKING OUT. ]

So yeah. That's how my day started. By the time my dad went to bed Deanna and I were convinced that Seth had actually had a heart attack. He was shaking with fear when he finally got back on the futon.

When I woke up at 5 am, Stacy was at the edge of the futon growling at Seth. I had to wake him up again so he would leave before we got ourselves into another incident. Then I had to do school work from 7 to 11, which was really hard because Mom was distracted with having a conversation with Collin the whole time and wouldn't answer any of my questions. Then came time to do chores. The good vacuum cleaner broke halfway through so I had to us a really old one that was hard to move.

_In short, I'm not in a good mood._

Brandon's POV

After Noelle and I finished eating, we decided to go see a movie.

I had been dreaming for this day for years, when I finally get to go out with Noelle Brentwood!

The only thing that was a little bit strange happened when we were in the food court: Noelle went to use the bathroom and while she was gone a really tan, muscular guy that was taller than me came up to me and said that he was doing a survey of how many couples there are at the mall, for a school project. Our conversation went like this:

"Um, yeah, I'm here with my girlfriend, she just went to the bathroom," I answered his weird question. I wouldn't really call Noelle my girlfriend _yet_ but what else was I supposed to say, that I was here with a friend?

"And, about how long have you been dating?" He asked.

"Um, well, this is our first date," I answered awkwardly.

"And how long have you known each other?"

"Well, since we were little kids, I guess. We went to the same school before we moved here."

The guy was about to ask another question when he looked past me with an unreadable expression… and walked away. I turned around to see what he was looking at but the only thing I saw Noelle.

And that's when we decided to go to a movie.

Noelle's POV

The movie was pretty good,_ and_ Brandon put his arm around me!

As he did so, he said something casually and softly to distract me.

It was a little bit awkward, but whatever.

"I'm gonna go get some popcorn," I told Brandon as I got up around the middle of the movie.

" 'Kay."

I pushed open the theater door and-, "I'm so sorry-" I quickly apologized, having smacked someone with the door accidently.

I cut myself off when I saw who it was. "Josh?" I exclaimed, "What on earth are you doing here?"

Josh's POV

"Um," I shuffled my feet shamefully.

"Wait a second," Noelle spoke, "Wer-were you spying on me?" Her face filled with anger, sadness, and pride- probably because she thought that she was _so_ _good_ to make me jealous… _which I guess is kinda true._

I said nothing.

"Oh my god!" She sounded surprised, "Why would you do that? We broke up, remember? Dude, what the hell is your problem?"

I flinched in pain at her words.

"Noelle I'm sorry, I just-"

"You just what?" She cut in, "You just wanted to make sure I was ok? You just wanted to make sure I wouldn't have fun without you? Listen, you're the one that unimprinted, remember? It was totally your choice to drink that stuff, you didn't have to!"

Just then, her new_ boyfriend_ came out of the theater.  
"Oh, hey Noelle, I just wanted to make sure you were ok-"

He stopped when he saw me, "Hey, you're that guy who surveyed me, right? Oh, Noelle, did he survey you too?"

"Oh, um, yeah." She looked disgusted, "We should go, I bet that Ani and Taylor are waiting for us."

"Um," He looked hesitant about leaving the movie so early, "Sure Babe, whatever you want." Noelle kind of jerked when he called her 'babe'.

"Bye, Josh," she said really, really softly so that only I could hear.

Brandon put his arm around her and they walked off, leaving me heart-broken.

Suddenly, I felt a wave of anger roll through my body for what I had done, and dashed outside before phasing.

Analiese's POV:

_Great, just how I wanted to end my _fantastic _day. Sitting in an abused, deserted, dilapidated movie theater next to a jerkface who happens to own the _wonderful _name of Taylor. Jerkface. _

"Hey, want some popcorn?" _Great! Now he's talking to me!_

"No." A chimp could tell I was mad because of my tone, plus my _one word answer ending with a VERY PRONOUNCED PERIOD! One that you could even tell was there when I was speaking! _Of course _someone_ (not naming names. Taylor.) didn't get the stinkin' hint!

"It'll get your arms to stop attacking each other and your teeth to stop compressing each other."

"My arms are not attacking and my teeth are not compressing. My arms are just crossed and my teeth are just grinding in order to let out my anger. Toward you."

"Oh yeah? Then what's with your fingers?"

"I am tapping them in a patterned sequence to keep them busy so that they don't ball up into a fist and make contact with your face."

"Oh-ho-ho! Whoa there little missy! Violence is never the answer! You know there are places that can help you with that. It's called anger management…" Now the stupid jerkface was smirking! JERKFACE! HIS FACE IS SO FULL OF JERK!

"Just shut up and watch the movie. You blackmailed me into coming here, so… just shut up," I retorted.

"Blackmailed, you say?"

"Yes. Blackmailed I do say."

"You see, I like to see it as more of a _compromise_, or maybe even a bribe."

"You said that if I didn't come you'd annoy me every time you saw me, which, quote, would be a lot because you'd follow Seth or Josh around. End quote. Glare."

"Actually, I said, that if you came, I wouldn't annoy you every time I saw you which, quote, would be a lot because I'd follow Seth or Josh around. End quote. Now, I don't know about you, but to me, that's more of a compromise."

"Jerkface," I muttered. I was so mad_ I _could probably turn into a wolf! Man, that was bad pun. Pretend I didn't say that… But seriously! _HE. IS. SUCH. A. JERK._

I watched in anger as the stupid movie we're supposedly watching droned on.

"What are we watching anyway?" He asked me.

"You're kidding right?"

"No. Why would I be?"

"Because you stinkin' picked it!"

"Alright. So what are we watching?"

"Oh. ! That's it, I'm leaving," I started to stand up from the torn seat, but that jerkface (I know I've used that word like a million times, but you should just be happy that I'm not being as colorful as I could be) grabbed my arm,

"I'm sorry," He sounded so innocent, I almost believed him. But didn't.

"Give me a break. You couldn't have said that an hour ago when you brought me to this stupid movie, instead of trying to be cool and acting all jerklike. You can say what you want, but right now, I do NOT believe you."

My mouth gaped when I saw his following expression. He looked hurt. He actually looked hurt! THAT JERKFACE ACTUALLY LOOKED HURT! I mean sure I was tough, but c'mon, he deserved it! Is this like a prank or something! For Pete's sake!

"I really am sorry, Ani. I wasn't trying to hurt you. I guess I just didn't know how to act around you anymore."

"What? Just because I'm a _vampire_ means I'm not the same person? I mean I'm not even _full _vampire! Not even half!"

Taylor quickly looked around to make sure that no one overheard, but I had checked before: other than us, the theater was completely deserted with the exception of the drunken, passed out movie player guy….or whatever his job description is.

"Listen, that's not it. Well, I mean, I don't want it to be. I mean, I know you're still you but I-I…I don't know. I just feel like it _should _be different after such a big event, like there _should _be some problem… I-I just don't know," He looked down sadly.

Wow, watching him stutter through that was pretty funny! Ok, ok, I'll admit it, I'm majorly cruel. And I have to say, I did feel kind of bad...,

"Fine. Half a chance."

"What?" He looked up, surprised.

I clarified,

"You get half a chance to make it right again. To make everything right again. Me. You. Us. Them. Her. Him. Everything. You get half a chance."

He smiled and stood up,

"Alright, I think I can do that."

"You think?"

He smiled wider,

"I know."

"Good. Now before we do anything else, take me far, far, far away from this crazy rat's nest," I frowned as I looked at the disgusting litter around my feet and continued,

"How _do _you find these places anyway?"

"With skill."

"Oh, right. Now please, seriously, I'm about to pass out from the smell."

"Me too. Let's go."

Josh's POV

As I phased out of wolf form after a long, long run, I decided to go to the Brentwoods' with Seth and Dee….there was nothing else to do anyways, and besides, Noelle was still out on her _date. _

Once I got to the house, Elise and Kathleen wouldn't let me out of their sight.

They wanted me to play all these crazy games (like 'let's-pretend-Josh-is-a-giant-punch-bag'), and I did for their amusement, and for my entertainment (it was kind of funny to watch them try to beat me up.)

As I finally came back upstairs from where I had been with Elise and Kathleen in the playroom, I heard Noelle's voice, and looked out the window. There she was, getting out of the car with Brandon.

He gave her a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and then _thank god_ his Mommy's car came to drive him home.

I felt jealous. When I first met Noelle, she wouldn't go out with me until much later! But she looked really happy with this guy for some reason.

"I've gotta get out of here," I said to Collin who had also been playing with Elise and Kathleen. "See ya'."

I tried to go out the front door as fast as I could before she reached the walkway, but too late. As soon as I opened the door, her head shot up and her smiling face turned into a glare.

I just now noticed that she was wearing the same outfit that she wore when we broke up. _How weird. _

She straightened up, and walked past me like I wasn't there… until I grabbed her arm,

"Noelle, wait." She slowly turned around.

"What?" She demanded in a nasty tone.

"I want to apologize."

"Yeah? For what, ruining my date? Making it miserable? Apology not accepted." She turned to walk on but I tightened my grip so that she really _couldn't _move on. She sighed and turned to face me. "What do you want?" She said in a whiney voice. I could tell she was getting really irritated with me.

"No really, I shouldn't've gone and spied on you, but really you should blame Dee, I mean, she's the one that told me."

"Deanna? Again? That little..." She trailed off and looked up at me, "I still don't forgive you, and could you really loosen your grip? Jeez, I'm gonna get a mark!"

"Oh, sorry." I hadn't realized that I was still holding on to her.

I let go and we just looked at each other for a second.

"Well, see you around, Josh," she mumbled, walking into her house.

PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

Sorry…it's just that I haven't had a single review for like the last three chapters so….I'm really really sad ='(

**-Ria M. Write**


	52. Little Ol' Me

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 52: "Little Ol' Me."

Josh's POV

"Kelsey! For ONCE in your _life_ JUST SHUT UP."

My little sister stuck out her tongue at me and then got up to get some milk from the fridge.

"Sorry about that," I said to CJ. I felt bad that on his first days as part of the pack he had to listen to my sister complain about how he is staying with us.

"It's cool," CJ responded, taking a bite of his cereal.

"You know, if you want like eggs or something, feel free to make them," I told him. He would need more than a bowl of cereal for energy.

"What are you doing today?" He asked me, still eating his cereal.

"My shift is at three," I reminded him, "but before that I don't have any plans...How about you?"

Kelsey sat back down next to me,

"You could show him cliff diving," she suggested.

CJ smiled,

"That sounds fun."

I scratched my head,

"Um. Actually I was thinking of running a few errands."

"I could help," CJ offered.

I bit my lip,

"No, no, that's really okay…"

"I have nothing else to do," CJ insisted.

"CJ! Where did you put my cellphone?" Theresa hollered from upstairs.

"I left them in my pants pocket!" CJ called back up to her.

"The ones with the holes in them?"

"Yeah!"

"You should throw those out!"

"No! I don't have that many pairs!"

"I'm throwing them out!"

"_Theresa_!" CJ got up from his seat and left his breakfast, "You're not really going to do that, are you?"

"Yes."

"See, CJ? You have plenty to do," I said to him. If he and Theresa aren't dating already, then they will be soon.

CJ looked at me,

"No way. Don't leave me here with her. Please."

"Oh come on, she's not that bad," I argued.

CJ's eyes widened,

"Please. Please don't leave me here in this house."

Just then, my Dad walked back inside the house, finished with his morning stroll.

"Good morning, honey," he kissed Kelsey on the head. I got up and headed towards the door, not wanting to be around my father. "Josh," he stopped me, "Where are you going?"

"He said he has some errands to run," Kelsey answered for me, probably thinking she was helping me out.

"Can you get the groceries?" My dad asked me.

"Actually, I was about to go cliff diving with CJ," I lied.

CJ looked surprised. He stood up and moved next to me.

"Oh. Alright then. Have a good time," my dad said.

"Whatever," I mumbled, too quietly for him to hear.

We got outside and I was tempted to just phase and run quickly away from CJ.

"Aren't the cliffs the other way?" CJ asked, following me as I walked.

"Yeah," I admitted, "Why?"

"Are we going to run your errands?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Can I ask what we are doing first?"

I sighed,

"I'm going to the Brentwoods' house. You know, Noelle's family."

"And Aria's family?"

_Dammit._ I had almost forgotten about the bonfire incident.

"Yes, her house too."

"How far is it?" He tried to sound casual, but his voice was much brighter and more enthusiastic than before.

"Not far, it's in Forks."

"Wolf bodies?" he suggested. I laughed,

"Wolf _forms_." I ran into the woods and phased, CJ close behind me.

Embry's POV

I rolled out of bed. I already knew today was going to be a tough day.

It was eleven O'clock. My shift had ended seven hours ago. Yet I was still tired.

After stretching I jumped into the shower. Realizing we were out of soap, I shouted downstairs to my mother to pick some up at the store today.

When I got out of the shower, the strangest thing happened. I could smell Audrine. You see, she smells sort of like flowers. It's not real perfume-y or anything, but she does. I don't know why.

My entire _bathroom_ smelled like her and I couldn't figure it out. I sniffed everything- my towel, my shower curtain, my hair...nothing matched the flowery scent.

Eventually I gave up trying to figure it out and just dried myself off and put on some clothes. But I had done so much sniffing; the scent was stuck in my nose!

Kissing my mom goodbye, I walked my way over to the house next-door to see if Audrine was home. Smelling her made me kinda want to talk to her. She wasn't home though and I had to talk to her parents instead.

Leaving my thoughts of her behind, I phased into my wolf form, heading in the direction of Aria's house.

"_Oh, Hey Embry!" _Katie greeted me.

"_Hey. How's it going?" _I replied, trying to be friendly to the girl. My mind was crowded. Paul, Josh, Chris, and Katie were all also in their wolf forms.

"_CJ's with me_," Josh told me, _"We just can't read his thoughts."_

"_What an outcast,"_ I joked, laughing at the new guy. _"You going where I think you're going?"_ I asked Josh, realizing he was moving towards the Brentwoods' too.

"_I was trying to keep a low profile about it. Strictly business matters,"_ he insisted. But then his thoughts moved to his plan of lurking in the woods, hoping Noelle would come outside.

"_What's business-like about that?" _Katie asked.

Josh got annoyed,

"_I'm just bored, okay? My dad was going to make me do chores if I stayed home. I don't care about Noelle or her snobby new boyfriend or _anything_. CJ just wants to see Aria so I'm doing him a fav-"_

"_What the hell?"_ I cut him off. Josh's thoughts turned into a sort of guilty, chaotic panic. _"Why does he want to see Aria?"_

"_Uh…they talked at the bonfire…"_ was as much as Josh's thoughts explained.

"_What? Are they friends or something now?" _I pried, trying to figure out what on earth was going on.

"_No, no, I just-, I don't know-, He…I…um," _Josh's thoughts moved between him threatening CJ about something and about CJ wanting to go cliff diving today.

"_Josh, just go somewhere else instead. I'm going over to visit her right now. Boyfriend and girlfriend time. Bring him cliff diving." _I suggested…in a sort of demanding way.

"_CJ and I can hang out! I'm off shift at twelve!"_ Katie exclaimed. Josh rolled his eyes,

"_No, Katie, CJ doesn't want to hang out with you."_

Katie got very upset very quickly.

"_Josh, apologize,"_ Paul demanded, temporarily thinking about more than just Rachel.

"_Sorry,"_ Josh mumbled, _"I meant I have errands to do."_

At this point I had reached the Brentwoods' house. So did Josh and CJ. Phasing back into human form and quickly pulling on my pants, I ran up to the front door and knocked loudly. Josh and CJ joined me.

I looked at Josh questioningly before saying hello to CJ,

"Hey, nice to see you again," I said to him. He kind of forced me into a man hug.

"Hola, good to see you too."

Josh smiled and then Noelle answered the door. She gave one look at Josh and then walked away, leaving us to walk in to an empty living room.

"Dee's here," I said, smelling her.

"Seth too," Josh agreed. CJ nodded, probably pretending like he remembers who they are.

We were right, a second later the two of them came upstairs into the living room, holding hands.

"Hey, guys," Dee greeted.

"We're here to introduce CJ to the rest of you, since he's new to the pack," Josh explained, not making eye contact with anyone.

"Hola," CJ awkwardly waved.

"I'm here to see Aria," I smiled, knowing it was obvious.

"Guys! We have company! Come here!" Dee yelled.

The first to join us were Elise and Kathleen. Then came Tasha, followed by Noelle. Last was Aria.

I opened my arms wide and smiled at Aria,

"Hi," I said, waiting for her to hug me. Okay, I admit, I was showing off a little to the new guy.

Aria looked nervously between me and everyone else, smiling and slowing walking over to me, but just sort of holding my hand instead of hugging me.

"Okay so I'm Dee, as you know, and my oldest sister is Aria, and then my twin is Ani…but she's not here right now, she's at the Cullens, and then there's Noelle, and then Tasha, and then Elise and Kathleen who are also twins," Dee explained to CJ.

CJ nodded, looking confused,

"Okay."

"Got it?" Josh asked him.

CJ looked at him,

"I'm not good with names."

Then he looked at me, smiling. At least I _thought_ he was looking at me until I saw Aria smiling back at him.

"Okay, let's go downstairs," I said to her, pulling her along with me.

CJ's POV

Once Aria left the living room, Josh got into this weird staring contest with his ex-girlfriend, Noelle. And then a car pulled into the driveway and Dee made us all leave out the backdoor. Once we got outside, a bad smell flooded my nostrils. _Too-sweet_. Before the other guys could pick up the scent themselves, I ran off into the woods, hoping they'd catch up once they realized how _many_ their had to be for the smell to be that strong. I reached the next house, spotting the group of pale-skinned monsters in the front yard.

Growling madly, I morphed into my wolf form, the large group of vampires that I found where ready to defend themselves. An odd smelling humanoid came outside. She smelled so much different from the rest, but she definitely wasn't human. I assumed she had been only part vampire. I knew I probably wasn't going to win in a fight against all of them, but I had to try. These _things_ killed people, and the werewolves here didn't even pick up their scent!

I pounced, they yelled for me to stop but I was deafened by my own roars of anger. I was already on top of the oldest when four of them jumped on me, and three slid underneath me. The last two ran away,

"_Cowards," _I thought. As soon as they pulled me off of the oldest vampire I sprang back- attacking the one with bronze hair. My thoughts where screaming in my head,

"_Filthy blood-sucking killers!" _as if he knew my thoughts, the vampire yelled,

"Wait! We're vegetarians! We only drink the blood of animals!" I didn't believe him, but that calmed me down a bit, he continued,

"We live here in peace with the other shapeshifters." I could not believe a word he said, but I wanted to. Something was making me calm. So I stopped and listened. Another of the vampires was staring at me. I got a weird feeling he was doing something to me. The quick vampire "_Edward_" as he liked to call himself was explaining to me the ideas of living in peace as eight other werewolves came and pounced on top of me. There was a short brawl in which Edward talked to us all, trying to calm us down. After Edward explained to the others that everything was alright I walked away, cautiously, to morph and pull on my clothes. As I was returning to where the other wolves were (already in human form) they started to explain to me what was happening.

"Ani and Nessie ran to get Jacob when you guys started fighting, he sent us to stop you." Collin said.

"And he sent all of you to stop little ol' me?" I said in a sarcastic tone, and a devious smile, "I'm flattered."

"Oh, ha ha, CJ, they've only known you for a few days, its impossible for them to know how well you can fight," said Courtney.

"Well I don't know if he sent enough of you," I said in an arrogant tone that only Courtney knew it meant I was joking. I was glad she was here.

**Thanks for reading, please review!**


	53. Ani, I'd Catch a Grenade for You

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 53: "Ani, I'd Catch a Grenade for You"

**Noelle's POV**

_*Ring ring ring ring!* _

I looked at the number on the cell phone. It was Brandon.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey," came Brandon's voice, "Listen, so tomorrow one of my friends is having a party, and he said that I could bring a date so, do you want to come?"

"Yeah! I'd love to!" I responded, excited that he had decided to bring me.

"Well… aren't you gonna ask your mom first?" He checked.

"Nope. We never do anything special. I'll just have Aria drive me," I told him, making it sound like it was no big deal.

"Great! So the address is 89 Beaverly Hill. Be there at 6:00. Oh, and it's like _really_ fancy, so yeah, like sort of formal clothing. See ya'!"

"Bye!" I said.

"Ani!" I screamed. "Ani!" I called again, excitement buzzing around inside of me.

"What? What?" She came down the stairs to my room.

"Guess what? I got invited to a party! A late night, really fancy party!"

"COOL!" she exclaimed. .

"I know, right? I'm going as Brandon's date!"

"Why do _you_ get all of the fun?"

"Because I'm just that cool!" I joked, already looking around for a dress.

**CJ's POV**

I had been on shift until 2 in the morning, so I was still tired when Theresa threw a pillow at my head around 9 am.

"Theresa! What _the hell_ do you want?" I sat up and looked over to where she was sleeping on the bed. I was on the floor.

"Where's the phone they got for me? Did you take it again?"

"Ugh, I don't know. Go look for it yourself."

"You're such a jerk," she muttered, throwing another pillow at me.

"Just go die," I shouted at her, chucking the pillow back.

She threw it at me again,

"No! Go get my phone!"

"OH MY GOD." I got up and walked towards my pile of stuff, grabbing the phone and throwing it on to the bed.

"Why are you only wearing boxers?" She asked, staring at what little clothing I had on.

"Because I keep overheating."

She looked at me questioningly,

"It hasn't been hot."

"Ok, well, that doesn't matter. I just get warm."

"You never were warm before," she pointed out.

"Theresa, unless you want me to just take my boxers off, leave me alone."

She rolled her eyes,

"I can't believe you treat me like this."

I lied back down, trying to not think how she was right. I am usually cold, actually. Why now suddenly do I get too hot?

I looked out the window, remembering my visit to the Brentwoods' house yesterday. That girl, Aria….

I got warm again.

**Noelle's POV**

After I got a bit tired of dancing, Brandon and I stepped off the dance floor as a slow song started playing.

"I'll go get us something to drink." Brandon said.

"'Kay."

As he strolled away, another boy came up to me. He was pretty tall and had blonde hair, very attractive.

"Hey," he greeted me, speaking with a smooth, cool voice.

"Um, hi," I said back.

"So, would you like to dance?" He asked, out of the blue.

"Actually," I turned, looking around for Brandon, "I'm here with my date, Brandon."

"Oh, yeah! You're Noelle! He wouldn't shut up about you ever since you said yes to coming to this party."

I gave a nervous laugh.

Brandon saw me looking for him and walked over to us,

"Hey, Noelle, I see you've met Cody."

So that was the name of this boy.

"Yeah," I nodded, trying very hard not to be awkward.

"You've got a very nice, pretty girl here," Cody told Brandon. I could feel my hear beat pick up with embarrassment.

"I know," Brandon said as Cody walked away.

I looked down awkwardly as Brandon offered me some punch.

"Thanks," I took the plastic cup and had a few sips. I had already had a lot earlier. I couldn't figure out what was in it, it tasted a little weird. But I didn't want to be rude so I kept drinking.

We slowly walked out of the tent, and under the stars. I looked up at them and couldn't help but wonder if Josh was spying on me, _again._

_But he wouldn't do that, right?_

"So," Brandon interrupted my thoughts, "You look _really_ nice."

"Thanks," I replied smiling, still looking up at the stars.

"Do you want to dance?"

The slow songs were still playing, and, of course, it would make sense for every couple to dance together.

"Sure," I agreed, while putting my glass down on the nearest table.

I rested my hands on his shoulders as he took my waist. We were still under the beautiful stars.

_I actually probably will have my __first kiss__ with him tonight, even though we were only dating for a couple of days. _

I surprisingly move very fast. I mean, I had my first kiss with Josh just days after I had met him, but, after all, he _had_ imprinted. And, if Brandon and I _do_ kiss tonight, there will be an exception for the reason too, because I've known him since we were kids.

Brandon is also only like three fourths of a head taller than me, so, for once, don't have to look _way_ up. _Maybe that would make our kisses nicer than my ones with Josh had been…_

But, as much as I wanted to, I wasn't really sure if I imagine kisses being much better.

**Josh's POV**

I sighed, it was getting late. I had traded shifts with Jared today so that he could go somewhere with Kim. Something about planning their wedding. I quickly picked up some music, coming from a party? At this late? Must be for some highschoolers. Wouldn't it be cool if I could go crash it?

"_Yeah, good luck with that."_ Alan commented on my thought. "_Oh, and by the way, they're not highschoolers at the party, they're like middle schoolers." _I could see the vision of the party from Alan's thoughts. "_And I think that Noelle's there with her new boyfriend!"_

"_What?" _Wow. This was just getting worse and worse!

"_Oohh!"_ Quil jumped into the conversation, "_What a little cheater!"_

"_Shut up!" _I told him, "_Besides, we're _not_ dating, remember?"_

"_Sure," _said Alan, "_What ever you say!"_

I decided to go take a lap around the woods next to the party, just to get a glimpse of it.

When I neared it, I could see that it was really fancy, and there was a white tent.

Apart from the crowd, I _did_ see Noelle with _Brandon._ They were actually slow dancing. It wasn't like the kind of dance that I did with Noelle, it was more _stupid_. Her hands were wrapped around his shoulders, and his hands were wrapped around her _waist_. I felt a surge of jealousy.

"_So much for not dating,"_ Quil said, knowing how jealous I was.

I tried to calm down myself down. _You're not into her._ I chanted to myself._ You guys are over; _**done**.

"_Dude, why don't you just like confront her? Tell her you want to get back together?" _Alan suggested.

"_I've tried that. Several times, actually." _I thought about the time at the mall, and then again in her front yard, and then when I made that comment about how when she said 'OMJ'; I made a joke about it meaning 'Oh my Josh,' and then she made it clear that we couldn't, or _wouldn't _be even friends.

"_That isn't such a big deal."_ Quil told me, "_Tell her you _love_ her. You know, all that gushy stuff. Like, dance with her or something; that's how you won her over twice before, right?"_

"_Yeah,"_ I answered,_ "But I really think that she wants nothing to do with me. I think that she really might like this Brandon guy. But _I, _on the other hand, _hate_ him." _I added, sourly.

**Noelle's POV**

After slow dancing with Brandon, and having him kiss me briefly on the lips, we moved back to the main dance floor to find ourselves dancing to 'Party At A Rich Dudes House' by Ke$ha which actually kind of fit the description of where I was. Next to the huge lawn where we were standing was the house, confirming that it belonged to somebody rich, which, apparently, was Cody.

So, everything kind of went with the song except for the...and that's when I spotted it. The bottles that I thought held root beer actually had _real _beer. It said it right on the label.

_No,_ I thought to myself. _No, this isn't happening. _I didn't want this to be like a movie, where everyone gets drunk, and then the police come, and get everyone in trouble, even if they _weren't _drinking. And, of course, I _was not _going to drink.

"Um…" I shouted to Brandon over the blaring music, "I'm kind of getting tired. I'll just start heading home, if that's alright." It wasn't totally a lie; I was actually feeling a bit drowsy.

"No, I _don't _think that's alright," came a familiar, smooth voice from behind me. I turned around slowly to find no other than Cody, holding a beer bottle himself. On either side of him were two other guys, all holding beer. "What's the rush Noelle? Or are you just _scared?_ Can't handle the drinking, huh?"

"Well…" I didn't really know what say. This was all so sudden. I looked over to Brandon, but he was just looking down awkwardly like he knew about this all along. "I just need to be home." I finally managed.

"Oh, come on." Cody put a hand on my shoulder. "It's not like you didn't know! I mean, you're not all innocent either. Obviously there was alcohol in the punch."

"WHAT?" I was shocked. My vision began to blur as tears flooded my eyes. Brandon continued to just stand there. He looked dazed. Then I realized the cup he was drinking. How many had he had? A lot. Brandon must be drunk! _Uh oh!_ I thought to myself. This really isn't good. I was surrounded by four drunk boys, who weren't letting me leave, and who want me to drink. And, for once, I actually wished that Josh would come out of no where and crash-or...er, _save_ my _date._

I was feeling more drowsy by the second, and my vision was starting to blur more and more. I had had about three and a half cups of punch, and I didn't know how much alcohol was in them, but I was starting to feel sick.

"So," Brandon spoke up this time, "You gonna have some or not?" He held out a bottle of beer.

"Yeah," one of the other guys piped in, "Wouldn't hurt so much, would it? Considering that you've already had some alcohol."

I was temped to run from it. After all, I _was_ pretty fast from playing soccer. _Soccer._ I thought of it. The last game that I played was in California… Brandon had been looking at me. I felt a feeling of betrayal. I had known him so for so long, _how could he do this?_

Something in my mind told me that it wasn't such a good idea to run. I bet these guys were pretty strong, and I already knew that Brandon was fast...

I was at loss.

**Aria's POV**

"Ani, I'd catch a grenade for you," I said to my sister, jokingly.

"I think a lot of people would," she agreed, kidding.

"Where's Noelle?" Mom asked, joining us in the dining room.

I looked away, trying hard to act like I had nothing to do with letting Noelle go to a party without Mom's permission.

"Good question," Ani nodded, also pretending like she didn't know, "Maybe she was abducted by aliens," she said, with a totally straight face.

Mom narrowed her eyes at us,

"Tell me where she went."

"Mars," I quickly responded, "They love egotistical brats there."

"She's really better off, Mom," said Ani, "You have to admit, it's better to be somewhere where you are loved than somewhere where you are just…well, a vain yet beautiful girl."

"If you two don't tell me where she is right now, you are both grounded," Mom threatened.

"She's at a birthday party. I drove her. It's all good," I confessed, trying to make it sound like it wasn't a big thing.

"A birthday party for one of the guys?" Mom asked. I glanced at Ani and then smiled,

"Sure. Yeah. One of the guys. No worries."

_Close enough._

**Josh's POV**

"_Is that alcohol I smell?" _Quil questioned as he swooped past me, taking the lap that I was supposed to be making.

"_I smell it too."_ I agreed. I looked to the enormous crowd huddled under the white tent. I narrowed my large wolf eyes to see if I could make out anything. A couple of the boys at the edge of the crowd were huddled around someone...Noelle! They all looked like they were holding brown beer bottles.

One of the boys had his hand rested on Noelle's shoulder and looked like he was holding her back. I shifted my eyes to Brandon, who was holding out a bottle to Noelle, who looked panicked.

"_Oh, that's _not_ good." _Alan commented.

"_What are you gonna do?"_ Quil asked, "_You _cannot_ leave patrol under any circumstances."_ He reminded me, only saying that because Jacob told him too. Quil would leave in a second if it was Claire.

I already had a plan rolling through my head.

"_Alan," _I said to him, since he was the closest to the Brentwoods, house. "_Go to the Brentwoods' house and somehow get Dee's attention." _He was already on his way. "_She'll phase, and you can explain everything while I'm getting Noelle the hell out of there. Tell Dee that I'll cover for her when it's her shift tomorrow."_

"_Gottcha. I'm there already."_

So I phased as fast as I could, put on my pants, and sprinted towards Noelle.

When I neared, one of the guys, who was standing next to the guy whose hand was on Noelle's shoulder, looked at me questioningly.

He tapped the guy whose hand was on Noelle, who was facing entirely the other way, and made him turn around.

"And who, might I ask, are you?" _Yep,_ I thought to myself. _He's definitely drunk._ I could smell it in his breath. "Nobody comes to _my_ party with out me inviting you," he told me.

"I'm not here to attend your party," I spoke through clenched teeth. At the familiarity of my voice, Noelle turned. Immediately, her face lit up.

"Josh!" I smiled to hear her say my name with such relief. But I could smell, even in Noelle's breath, a hint of alcohol.

"Oh! Perfect!" The boy spoke, though he _still_ didn't remove his grasp on Noelle, "Little Price Charming, just in time, huh?"

"Ok, Cody," Noelle spoke, trying to shrug out of his grasp, which had weirdly tightened since I approached. "I think I'll just go now."

"Oh, no," Cody said, looking at her with the strangest looked I'd ever seen, "You're not going _anywhere._"

"Oh yeah?" I stepped closer to him, "Says _who?"_

"Me." Cody started to square up to me, but, obviously, I was a _ton _stronger and taller. I just remembered that Brandon was here. Wasn't he supposed to be like protecting Noelle or something? I mean, sure, he's drunk, but doesn't he have enough sense to like say something?

"Hey Brandon," I decided to confront him, ignoring the outraged Cody, "Aren't _you_ dating Noelle? Don't you like her? Shouldn't you be like defending her and giving her what she wants? Even if you _are_ drunk." I mumbled the last part.

"Hey, butt out survey guy." He said while putting one arm around Noelle's waist, pulling her towards him, and the other arm clutching the beer bottle. He obviously remembered me from the mall, when I 'surveyed' him.

"Okay, Josh." Noelle said, unwrapping Brandon's hand. "Please, can we just go?"

"Yup." I quickly grabbed Noelle by the wrist, and tugged her, gently, over to me. "Let's get out of here." I shielded her from the protesting hands of the boys, and ran with her towards the forest.

As soon as we hit the forest the sirens started sounding. She's lucky she left when she did.

I looked over to Noelle. Her eyelids were half-closed, and she was half stumbling.

"Noelle, are you okay?" I asked, my voice full of concern.

"They put alcohol into the punch I drank." She answered, resting her sleepy head onto my shoulders. She managed to open her beautiful brown eyes enough to find mine, and said, "Thank you." And then her body went totally limp. I caught her, with a bunch of time to spare, before hitting the ground. She, no doubt, wasn't used to drinking beer which, don't get me wrong, is _not_ a bad thing at all. Those other guys probably drank all of the time.

I lifted Noelle's light body up so that I was holding her like a baby. One of my arms holding her legs, and the other just below her shoulders.

"It's time to get you home." I whispered to her through the darkness.


	54. Don't Turn Around! Ahhh!

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 54: "Don't turn around!" "Ahhh!"

Noelle's POV

I was awoken by Aria's uncomforting hands shaking me.

"Aria," I whined, "It's like, really early!" I complained.

"Um, no it's not, it's like seven o'clock. So, how was last night? All I know is that I saw Josh bringing a sleepy you down here, he wouldn't let me talk to you because he wanted you to fall asleep."

"Oh…yeah. A lot happened," I remembered. Before I got a chance to continue, the basement door swung half open and, quietly, Deanna walked in.

"I just wanted to make sure you were, you know, okay and everything," Deanna explained.

"Tell me what happened, Noelle!" Aria demanded, shaking me some more.

"Well, Josh was apparently spying on the party and like took me home."

Aria laughed,

"Tell me more!"

"Um…there was this thing where the other guys were being jerks and Josh came out of the woods and confronted them. He was so much taller and stronger than them that they were like scared."

"What did Josh say?" Deanna asked.

"He told them to let me leave the party, because I wanted to. And when we left I got really tired so he carried me home. It was a good thing that he's warm because it got kinda cold out and I forgot my coat."

"What guys were being jerks?" Aria asked.

"Brandon and the guy whose party it was, Cody, and a couple of their other friends."

"Aw, that's too bad that they were being Jerks," Aria commented.

"It's okay though because Josh was like my body guard," I told her.

Deanna and Aria exchanged a look.

Aria turned back to me,

"Noelle, do you like Josh?"

"No."

"Really? Cuz he's all you've talked about so far," Aria pointed out. Deanna chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to talk about the alcohol at the party because they would get really upset.

"How were the guys being jerks?" Aria asked.

I shrugged.

"Mention anyone else and she has nothing to say," Deanna commented.

"They were just being mean to me and Brandon didn't do anything about it," I tried to explain, "That's all."

"So are you going to stop talking to Brandon?" asked Aria.

"Yeah…" I trailed off, realizing how hurt my feelings were.

Aria began speaking,

"You know, Josh obviously isn't over you if he stalks you and protects you."

"Wait, are you saying that there's no magical force and Josh _still_ loves Noelle?" Deanna sounded in disbelief.

Aria nodded,

"Yup. He does, Noelle, he still loves you."

"He _broke up_ with _me_," I told them, "Remember? He doesn't want to be with me anymore. Even if he still does like me, he'll get over it and move on."

"Wait, Noelle…" Deanna had a funny look on her face. She scrunched up her nose for a second, "Is that you?"

"Is what me?" I had no clue what she was talking about. My older shape-shifting sister leaned in and sniffed my face. "Deanna, stop being weird."

Her eyes grew wide,

"Noelle! What happened at that party?"  
I guess she must still be able to pick up some scent of alcohol in my breath. _Talk about a good sense of smell._

I cautiously turned to see if Aria had picked up what Deanna was talking about.

Her face was anxious, but confused.

"Ohmygosh, how were they jerks, Noelle?" She asked me, sounding terribly scared.

I looked away for a second and let out a breath, trying to think of a way to calm them down,

"The punch had alcohol in it and I didn't know until after I had a few cups." I slowly moved my eyes back to my sisters.

"Wow, Noelle…" Was all Deanna could say. I knew Aria wouldn't be so short on words.

"Noelle Florette Brentwood! How _could_ you not tell us? That's illegal! They should all be arrested! Or, or….ohmygosh how _could_ they do that to you? What kind of people are they!...What a jerk Brandon is!"

"I know," I looked down, sadly. It was kind of fun hanging out with him before the alcohol thing…

Aria looked like she was ready to cry.

"Calm down, Aria," I said to her, "I'm fine."

"Nothing_ that bad_ happened, at least," Deanna agreed, trying to make Aria feel better.

"Oh no, just I drove my little sister to a guy-who-I-don't-know's party without our mother's permission and it turned out the punch was spiked and she unknowingly drank some." She buried her face in her hands.

"Brandon's such a loser. You deserve to be treated so much better than that, Noelle," Deanna told me.

"I know, I can't believe he did that to me. _Me!_"

"I hope you at least learned a lesson or something," Aria mumbled.

'Ding dong.' I heard the door bell ring.

"I'll get it." Aria said, quickly standing up, probably trying to get her mind off things.

Deanna turned to me and said nervously,

"That's Brandon. Be careful Noelle."

I didn't question her. Obviously, with her super-hearing and great sense of smell, she would know.

I heard footsteps walking down the stairs, and tensed.

"Just a second," I heard Aria say outside my door.

She creaked the door open, and said to me, "Noelle, Brandon's here."

"I know." I said, while looking over the dress I was still wearing from last night.

"Well...should I send him down?"

"Yeah, sure."

Deanna got up quietly, and left as Aria opened the door wider, revealing a stunning Brandon. He was wearing some nice dress pants, and a green polo shirt. In his hands were a bunch of roses. As he came closer, I realized that eleven white roses were on the outside, and seven red roses forming the shape of a heart on the inside. I gaped on the inside, not wanting him to see my amazement. I was still mad at him.

Aria and Deanna closed the door, but I knew that they would be standing right outside, and Deanna would hear everything with her super-hearing.

"Hey." Brandon said while coming over to me.

"Hi." I said. It was a bit awkward.

"Listen, I'm _really_ sorry about last night." When I didn't say that it was 'ok,' he continued. "I-I just don't know what got into me."

I nodded, not really knowing what to say.

"Well, I brought you these roses." He said as he handed them to me.

"Thanks. They're really pretty." I said at last.

"Well, do you want to go for a walk with me?"

"No!" I heard Deanna yell, while bursting open the basement door.

"Oh jeez." I said. "Deanna, go away."

"Sorry." She said, "But Noelle-"

"Go." I said, pointing towards the door.

"Fine." She pouted, but closed the door.

"Wow, she has really good hearing." Brandon said.

"Yeah, you have no idea." I agreed.

He smiled at me, and I smiled back.

"Sure, I'll come, just let me change first."

"Yeah, that'd probably be a good idea."

I closed the door after him, locked it, and threw on some dark skinny jeans with an orange t-shirt, and some uggs. I looked in the mirror, and fixed my hair, combing through it. I put the roses that Brandon gave me on my dresser, and ran up the stairs, into the living room.

As Brandon and I were about to leave, I heard voices outside. I peeked out the window, and saw Josh, walking with CJ.

"Uh-oh." I said, knowing that Josh would absolutely kill me for letting Brandon in the house. "Brandon, can you go lock yourself in the downstairs bathroom for just a second?"

He looked startled.

"Um..."  
"Please?" I begged.

"Sure." He agreed, and left to go downstairs.

Aria emerged from the kitchen with Deanna, both bursting with laughter.

"Nice save." Aria said through her laughs.

"Shut up. What else was I supposed to do?"

Just then, the doorbell rang. Aria, who was closest to the door, opened it. When she realized CJ was with Josh, she immediately smiled. _Weird._

Josh came over to me.

"Hi." I said awkwardly.

"Hey, I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

"Well, I'm fine, really."

"I just have one request for you." Josh said.

"What?" I asked cautiously. I swear, if he wanted to get back together with me...

"Just don't _ever_ see Brandon again."

I was taken aback. Since when could _he_ ever tell me what to do? That's my job!

"Sure." I said. It wasn't a 'yes,' but it wasn't a 'no' either.

"Great! Well, I've got to go do stuff, but I'll see you later, kay?"

"Yep. Bye!"

"Bye!"

I waited one minute after Josh and CJ left, then told Brandon he could come out of the bathroom.

"Who was that?" He asked.

"It's a long story. And I'm not really in the mood for telling it, so, let's just go on the walk."

If Josh was in wolf form, than he would be in the woods, so I could just avoid going near the woods and should be fine…but that's like impossible around my house.

Josh's POV

"_At last, lover boy is happy again," _Brady commented on my gleeful thoughts. He was on shift with Jake and Taylor.

"_Oh _thank god." Taylor was wondering if Noelle and I would be friends now.

I wondered the same.

Brady's thoughts suddenly drew dark.

"_What's going on?"_ I asked him.

"_Nothin'_," he shook his head, trying to clear it.

"_Tell us_," Taylor encouraged, "_It's about time we hear some new drama, anyway._"

Brady sighed,

"_That just reminds me. I'm on shift right now and it's a Saturday so Audrine's free right now._"

"_You wish you were with her_?" Taylor clarified.

"_Yeah. But it especially bothers me because of You-Know-Who._" An old memory of Embry and Audrine together when they were dating ran through Brady's mind.

"_Oh! Right! That's right!" _ I was practically jumping, excited over my realization, "_Embry isn't imprinted on Aria anymore…oh, wow, that sucks for you Brady…"_

Brady was annoyed,

"_Thanks so much, Joshy." _

"_And they are neighbors, too…and Embry's free _all_ day," _Taylor added.

"_I'm so glad you guys are so supportive." _

"_But Embry's part of the pack…do you really think he would try anything on a girl you imprinted on?"_ Taylor pointed out, "_That's like stealing your brother's wife or something."_

"_Good point," _I agreed.

"_But he's with her right now,"_ Brady told us, "_They are hanging out until I get off of my shift. I can't help but be a little worried…" _

"_Why isn't Embry spending his time with Aria?"_ Taylor asked. I nodded,

"_That is kind of annoying. I feel sorry for you, Brady. It's a good thing I don't have to worry about Noelle and other guys anymore." _

"_Hey Josh, what is CJ doing all day?" _Jacob asked me, speaking for the first time.

"_Oh he's right here with me…"_ My heart started panicking as I realized I had forgot about him. I turned my head every which way, trying to catch a glimpse of his fur coat. I couldn't spot him anywhere. _"Oops. He was supposed to be following me," _I told Jacob, _"I thought he was…"_

Taylor and Brady were silent, scared for me as I waited for Jacob's response. I knew he wasn't going to be happy.

CJ's POV

I looked up at the sun, trying to gauge what time it was.

_Theresa is going to kill me. _

I had promised her that I would be back in time to drive her to her job interview this morning. It was about an hour away and she didn't want to do all of that driving. I was almost out of Forks when I spotted two people walking in the street along the edge of the woods. They had a familiar scent on them. I sniffed a little more and recognized it as the smell of the Brentwood's house. Curious, I slowed down and crept up towards the street to see who it was. There was a Brentwood girl and a guy I didn't know.

_Wait, isn't that Josh's ex-girlfriend?_ _The one he spoke to this morning? Who is the guy she is with?_

My curiosity was burning. I sniffed them some more, but I still had no clue who the boy was. They stopped walking and faced each other, the girl's back to me.

"Noelle, I wanted to ask you something last night…and I know that didn't work out so I'm hoping this can be my second chance."

The girl hesitated,

"What is it, Brandon?" she asked, quietly.

I saw her hands begin to twitch a little in nervousness.

_Did she just say Brandon? As in the boy she just told Josh she would never see again!_

Furious, a dark growl echoed in me and I stepped forward, my face now visible to them. Brandon spotted me and his eyes widened.

_How dare you, you traitor!_

"Don't turn around!" He warned Noelle, his voice with a hint of fear in it. I stepped closer, one paw out of the woods, growling madly.

Noelle turned, saw me, and screamed. At the same time Brandon turned to run away, but he stopped, trying to be a hero and save Noelle too. When he tried to turn back to Noelle he moved too fast, though, and his foot slipped. He fell, his feet sliding towards legs, tripping her. She fell back on top of him.

"Ouch!" She yelped, grabbing her ankle. It had twisted while she fell. Tears quickly filled in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Brandon asked, moving himself from under her as the tears began to run down her cheeks.

_She must have really hurt it._

I quit growling and padded my way closer, wanting to help her up. Brandon was now standing, looking full of panic and awkwardness, not offering to help her.

She saw that I was moving closer and screamed. I was confused for a second,

_She knows I'm too big to be a real wolf, right?_ _She must know I'm a shapeshifter?_

I thought maybe she was just acting for Brandon, because he would think I'm a real wolf. So I tried to scare him away. I started my dark growl again, staring right at him. His voice got high-pitched as he pleaded with me,

"No! No!"

He hugged himself and stepped back a little, but wouldn't run away. Noelle screamed some more.

I sighed, giving up and walking back into the woods. I lied down at the edge of it, resting my head on my paws, watching them.

Noelle looked at me for a moment, a scared look on her face. She stopped screaming, though. She kept staring at me as Brandon slowly inched closer to her. After a moment I noticed she was looking right into my eyes.

_She must be trying to figure out who I am._

I realized she wouldn't recognize me, since I was new.

And that's when I understood why she was so scared- she didn't know that my mind wasn't connected to the pack's yet!

_She thinks Josh can see everything I'm seeing right now! _

I was excited.

_Serves her right. _

I was planning on watching the whole thing so I could tell Josh _everything_ later.

Brandon finally reached Noelle, cautiously eyeing me to make sure that I wasn't going to jump out and gobble him up.

"Wow, that's a big wolf," he said, gulping, terrified. He looked at Noelle, "You should get up so we can try to walk away, maybe he won't follow us."

Noelle looked at him like he was an idiot,

"I can't get up, I think I broke my ankle." She was still crying from the pain.

Brandon examined her leg. I wanted to growl as I noticed his eyes were gazing too far up to be looking at her ankle.

"Maybe I could help you up?" He lifted her arm over his shoulders and tried to stand. He managed to get them both up, with her standing on one leg.

"We can't walk all the way back to my house like this…" Noelle said.

_What? Of course you can! It's not _that_ far!_ I didn't understand why she would say that.

"May I use your phone so I can call my mom for a ride?" She asked Brandon, innocently. He dug out his phone from the pocket of his dress pants and handed it to her. She dialed a number and held it to her ear,

"Hi, Deanna, it's me, Noelle. You'll never guess what happened. Brandon and I were walking when a _wolf_ started coming out the woods towards us! Can you believe that? Yeah, it's still looking at us…_right at us_. It's a really _big wolf_ too."

Now it made sense: Noelle just wanted Deanna to help try and stop Josh from finding out.

"Yeah so I fell and I think I broke my ankle. Can you please ask mom to give us a ride back home? We're on that street by that tree with the…yeah, that tree, exactly. Do you think he already knows? ... WHAT? He's _THERE_!...oh, good, so he'll be gone before we get back? ...Good."

_Josh is at the Brentwoods' right now?_

I stood up as quickly as I could and darted off, towards the Brentwoods' house.

_I gotta tell Josh before he leaves!_

Noelle's POV

I saw the werewolf run off,

"Deanna, the wolf just left!"

"Don't worry, I'll just tell Josh that CJ is at the beach with you. We're all going to the beach with Dad now anyway so he'll just get into the car with us so he won't go in wolf form."

"Ok!"

"Mom will be there in a few minutes to pick you up, stay put and relax. We'll be gone before you get home."

"Okay, bye." I hung up the phone and turned to a very confused looking Brandon. I smiled nervously,

"My mom will be here in a few minutes." 

Aria's POV

"Elise! Kathleen! Tasha! Get your jackets on!" Dad shouted up the stairs to everyone, trying to get them to hurry up so we could go to the beach. It was all cold and winter-y out, yet here Dad was, making us to the beach with him.

Embry walked in through the front door.

"Hey, Aria," he greeted me.

"What's up, Embry?" I asked him, "We're about to go to the beach so I really can't hang out with you right now," I explained, "Sorry."

He shrugged,

"Oh. Whatever. It's cool. Audrine and I were thinking about catching a movie later anyways."

I froze and then slowly spoke,

"Where exactly?"

"At my house. Brady promised to help Collin babysit tonight so I was going to keep her company."

"Can I come?" I asked, knowing it sounded rude that I was inviting myself.

Embry looked doubtful,

"Um, sure, I guess. It really was just a 'me and her' thing, though, you know, just two best friends hanging out."

"I thought that we were best friends?" I didn't mean to sound hurt or jealous, but it just came out.

Embry bit his lip and looked down,

"We are boyfriend and girlfriend, Aria. It's different."

I blinked, in shock.

"Oh, right. Yeah." I responded, quietly. I started to look for my coat.

"Well, you look busy so I'll catch you later, like tomorrow. Bye." Embry stepped close to me while I wasn't facing him and tried to turn my head. It only half worked and he ended up kissing my cheek instead of my lips.

I rolled my eyes as I heard him close the door after himself.

The door opened a few moments later and I sighed, turning around expecting to see Embry again. Instead, CJ was standing inside of the living room looking around for something.

"What's going on?" I asked him. He seemed to be in a hurry. I walked over to him.

"I'm looking for Josh."

My heart beat picked up as he glanced at me for a moment longer than natural.

"Why?"

Tasha's POV

I was putting on my shoes in the middle of the small staircase leading from the playroom to the living room when I heard Aria talking to someone. I peeked into the living room and spotted CJ with her.

"You know how Deeeee-_Noelle_ promised not to see Brandon?" CJ told my eldest sister, his eyes weirdly switching between searching the room and staring at her. _Was he just going to call Noelle 'Deanna' ? Wow, he's bad with names._

"Yeah?"  
"I just saw her with him, so I gottta go tell Josh."

"Oh no you can't," Aria stepped in front of him, trying to catch his eyes so he'd stop looking for Josh. She was very serious, I could tell. _ Little does he know, Josh already in the car._

"Where is he?" CJ stepped further into living room. Aria grabbed his arm,

"No, you really can't. Stop." Her tone was demanding.

"Why?" CJ quit looking around the room and turned her face to her.

"For me, please. I'm telling you not to." Aria was practically begging. I covered my mouth to conceal my laughter. Noelle had gotten herself into more drama again.

"Bros before hoes," CJ responded, dismissively.

Aria hit him, her mouth wide,

"That is the second time you've called me that!" She sounded offended.

"And yet you're smiling." CJ was clearly staring at Aria now, temporarily distracted.

Aria didn't know what to say. She _was_ smiling.

"So where is he?" asked CJ.

"Please! I'll do anything!"

"_Annny_thing?" I raised my eyebrows at CJ's mischievous smile.

"Yes! Just don't tell him!" It's a good thing that CJ doesn't know how bad Aria is at making deals. One time she agreed to be Ani's personal slave for life so that Ani would get her a glass of water with ice.

"Can I give him a hint?" CJ asked, still not willing to give up telling Josh. _Whatever he saw must be really good gossip…_

"What hint?" Aria asked, her eyes suspicious.

" 'You should umm…check out Noelle.' "

_That's the worst hint ever! Josh _always _'checks out' Noelle!_ Aria also knew it was a bad hint,

"Yeah, sure. You can say that."

"Now about that anything…." CJ's mischievous smile returned and I was surprised that Aria didn't look scared.

"What?"

"One day of you and me just chillin' out."

_Huh? Why would he want _that_? Aria is the least fun to 'chill out' with!_

"What happened to bros before hoes?" Aria asked, smirking.

"There was a median."

"What day?"

"Sunday."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrrow. I'll see you at 3. In the morning."

My eyes widened, and so did Aria's,

"What? Why that early?"

"That's when I get off of shift. Then you and me hang out until 11pm, when my shift starts again."

"What do you expect me to tell Embry as far as why I can't hang out with him that day?"

"You're busy."

Aria narrowed her eyes,

"Oh, yeah, thanks."

CJ laughed.

Aria rolled her eyes,

"You know, he'll beat you up if you try anything."

"I'm sure he can try."

"I think you just beat Noelle's ego in size."

I giggled. _That's pretty hard to do…_

"More than likely." CJ replied, unfazed by her insult.

There was a silence. They just stood there looking at each other.

"Why are you so upset with Noelle for hanging out with Brandon when you're okay with hanging out with me? Isn't that kind of hypocritical?" Aria questioned. I had been wondering the same.

"Because Josh has helped me. I don't even know Embry. He's not my bro."

"Oh so then it's okay if I'm a hoe?" Aria started off serious, but then couldn't stop herself from laughing when she said 'hoe.'

"You're not a hoe, though."

"But you said so! Twice!"

"I say a lot of things."

"In your Spanish accent?" I think Aria was just getting annoyed now, seeing as that was just about the stupidest comeback ever.

"Si, Senora."

"Doesn't that mean I'm married? Or old? Or something?"

"Si, Senorita."

Aria gave him a strange look.

I decided now was a good time to join their conversation, I stood up and walked into the living room,

"Oh, hey guys! How's it going?" I asked, walking over to them. They exchanged awkward looks. I peered at CJ,

"You're paler than the other guys."

"So?"

"So you should really put a shirt on!"

"I'm the same color as you!" he pointed out, holding put his arm against me.

"Yeah, and, do I look like I'm walking around with no shirt on?"

"Aria! Tasha! Come on! Let's go already!" Dad called, "Get in the car!"

"Bye," Aria said to CJ. Waving a little as she walked out the door.

"She has a boyfriend," I reminded CJ, whispering, as I walked outside to the car.

Noelle's POV

"Oh, Brandon, I remember you! You moved here?" Mom said as she turned down our street.

"Yeah," Brandon replied, "It's real cold here."

"Tell me about it," Mom agreed. I rolled my eyes. _She's so embarrassing._

We got closer to the house and I could see that the car was still in the driveway.

_They still haven't left?_

"Mom! Mom! Stop! Pull over! Pull over! They haven't left yet!" I began to shout.

"What's wrong, Noelle?" Mom asked, not pulling over.

"Seriously, Mom! Stop! Stop! Please! Pull over! Wait for them to leave!"

"What's the problem?"

"Pull over! Pull over! AhH!" I screamed, we were getting closer, "Please! Before they see us!"

_Josh can't see me with Brandon! Especially not with my ankle hurt too!_

Mom pulled to the side of the road, just close enough for us to see our driveway. I sighed in relief.

"I think they are leaving now," Brandon said. The car began to back out.

"WAIT! Omgsh! Which are they going? Omgsh, Mom! They are coming THIS WAY! They can't see us or they'll stop!"

I watched at the car backed further out. Mom turned our car around, ready to drive the other way.

"No, they aren't coming this way," Brandon said.

I was so scared I was holding on to my seat like the car was falling or something.

I held my breath as we watched the car go the other way.

I let out my breath,

"Okay, good. That was close."

Brandon gave me a funny look.

We drove the rest of the way to our house and Brandon and I got out of the car.

"Well, this was fun, Noelle. I hope your ankle's okay," Brandon smiled.

I smiled back,

"Yeah, thanks. See ya!"

"Actually, I have a few minutes before me mom's coming to pick me up. May I come in?"

I laughed nervously,

"Yeah, right, of course…" we walked inside and my mom went down to the laundry room while we sat on my living room couch.

"Hey, what's this?" Brandon touched my bracelet.

I held up my arm and peered at the bracelet Josh had given me for my birthday. I had never taken it off.

"Um…It's just…a wolf."

**Thanks for reading! Please review! So sorry for not updating in a while. I will publish a chapter every Tuesday for now on! **

**-Ria M. Write. **


	55. You're Always Confused

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 55:"You're always confused."

Aria's POV

"_Aria_!" Someone was saying my name funnily, pronouncing the letters differently then they should. I opened my eyes to the basement ceiling, for a split second assuming that I had dreamed the strange thing. "Hola, wake up!" Someone whispered. I turned to see CJ sitting next to my bed. I blinked, trying to wake myself up. CJ pointed to my bag as I sat up.

"um, Clothes?"

It was strange how he had to say 'um' before he remembered the word 'clothes.' I was under the impression he was good at speaking English. I realized that he had been saying 'Aria' with a weird Spanish-ish accent, though I believed that my name shouldn't have sounded _that _different.

"Why would I pack clothes?" I was worried now.

"Jacket, gloves, hat," CJ listed, "Those clothes."

"Those aren't _clothes_," I told him, getting out of bed and tip-toeing past Noelle. I grabbed my hat and gloves off of the ground and put them in the bag.

"What are they, then?"

"I don't know. But _clothes_ sounds like you mean a shirt and pants and stuff."

"What's stuff?"

"I don't know like-"

"Like gloves and hats, and jackets?" CJ chuckled. I rolled my eyes. "No, you really have to dress warm. We are going to be out in the snow."

"I always dress warm. It's winter in Forks. Why the hell would I _not_ dress warm?"

He shrugged,

"You usually don't."

I didn't respond; I knew he was just trying to get on my nerves. He thinks it's funny or something. I just sent him a glare and left to change in the bathroom.

_He hasn't even seen me enough to know how I usually dress!_

"Don't wake up Noelle," I warned him as I walked up the stairs.

I put on a pair of jeans, a tank top, a t-shirt, and a sweater. I kept my eyes away from the cupboard the whole time. I didn't want to be reminded of Embry.

I washed my hands and face and put on a little makeup, just so that I wouldn't look too ugly. I then brushed my hair and got annoyed as it is often too wavy in the morning, instead of sort of curly at the ends.

I stepped back downstairs to CJ, quietly, and found him sitting on my bed. I raised my eyebrows and spoke,

"Ready? Aren't we going to leave now?"

CJ nodded. I now noticed that he was wearing a blue T-shirt with some sort of random design on it and jeans. His hair was all in place, despite the fact that he must have come here in wolf form so it should be messy since it's down to his ears.

_Unless he came in his car…_

CJ stood up and grabbed my bag for me.

"Hey, that's mine, give it to me to carry," I reached for my bag.

"You sure? I'll carry it."

"Yes. Give it," I reached higher and he let me have it. We tip-toed up the stairs into the playroom where he had left a window open. I stepped on the futon to climb through the window, realizing I would get snow all over me.

"Did you pack a towel?" CJ asked. He had told me to pack one last night when he had stopped by a second time, this time dropping off Courtney and Jack's little brother, Alex. Collin had agreed to babysit Alex. CJ and I had talked and I told him to not say anything to Embry about today. He asked why and I explained that I would just pretend I was hiding/avoiding Embry because I was mad at him for going to Audrine's house to watch a movie while Brady was busy. Man, did that get CJ excited. He immediately ran to tell Brady and got Audrine and Embry in trouble.

Anyway, now I could see that the towel was because of the snow.

I tried to climb out the window but before I could pull myself through I felt CJ's hand under my feet, pushing me up. I didn't say anything and let him help me. It did make me blush, though. He climbed out after me and we walked through the snow to his car, smudging our footsteps behind us as we went along. Hopefully everyone would just think the tracks were from Stacy or something.

He _had_ brought his car. It was an older-looking white convertible. Sort of beat-up, too. Like an animal had attacked it. He opened the passenger's side door for me and I sat down in the car. He moved into the driver's side and got into the car.

Noelle's POV

"It says that she's mad at Embry and wants to make sure she's far away from him today," Deanna summarized, reading from the note Aria had left behind this morning. I had awoken to find her bed empty.

"Where does it say she went?" I asked.

"To the city. It says that Amanda drove her."

"Wait, so, she's doing this because she's mad at Embry?"

"Yeah."

"She went to the city in the middle of the night because she's mad at Embry?"

"That's what it says," Deanna assured me.

"I'm confused." It didn't make any sense.

"You're always confused," Deanna retorted, dismissively, "So, did you hear about the pack meeting Dad is holding here today?"

"What?"

"Yeah, he wants you to be here for it, too. He says it's important to our family _and_ the pack."

"What could it be about?"

Deanna laughed,

"Maybe Mom's having another baby."

I rolled my eyes. _Nope._


	56. Noelle, Are You Kidding Me?

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 56: "Noelle, Are You Kidding Me?"

Analiese's POV

"Ani, _get up_! People are going to see you."

"They're here already?" I was sitting up in my top bunk, reading a book.

"They will be soon," Mom warned me, leaving the room. I listened as she walked down the wooden stairs in her noisy shoes.

I closed my book and maneuvered myself onto the short ladder; climbing out of my bed. I was still in my pajamas and had to change before the meeting started. As I peered into my closet, I wondered what Taylor would think of the red sweater with a white tank top underneath. Not that I _wanted_ him to like me…I just, wanted to look good. For him. No, wait, I mean _not_ for him. Or maybe I did want him to think I look good.

Regardless of my intentions, I took the red sweater off the hanger and searched through Noelle's clothes to find a white tank top.

By the time I got downstairs, almost everyone else was already there. Chairs from the dining room were set up as were the desks chairs from our bedrooms. Pillows were on the ground for people to sit on. I expected to see my sisters huddled together awkwardly but instead they were each sitting with other people. Deanna and Nessie were talking to Seth and Jake.

I could see a few of the guys' heads turn slightly towards me; their nose's twitching at the mild vampire scent approaching them. I figured that I must smell different from Nessie, for they didn't seem to react to her smell at all. Ever. But mine, I could tell that they still had the instinct to jump at me when I get too close. All of the pack in one living room made it very crowded and the close proximity between _me_ and _them_ multiplied the feeling of exclusion I will eternally possess. No matter what, there will always be that tension between the shapeshifters and I. I could feel the blood boil up in my cheeks as some of the guys looked quickly away from me, maybe embarrassed by the uncomfortable-ness with my presence that they couldn't control. The worst part, the most _ironic_ part, is that the only reason I am a little bit vampire is because I felt excluded and was angry about it. If only they had all just included me in the secrets from the beginning, and I would have never taken that necklace and been bitten by Charles. But here I am: frozen in exclusion.

None of my sisters' minded me, except for Deanna who eyed me as I stepped down the stairs. The other shapeshifter girls, Leah and Katie and Courtney, were watching me, too. I guess I was like the opposite of them. They were part shapeshifter, I was part vampire. Nessie at least had Jake to include her. I was on the outside.

Stopping cautiously before moving further into the room, I ran my eyes through all of the faces, trying to spot where the new guy, CJ, was. I decided to avoid him because he had tried to attack me and the other Cullens' a few days ago. He didn't know that we were harmless, but I was still nervous.

_Maybe he didn't get here yet._

Taylor approached me and placed his hand over mine, getting my attention.

"Hey," I said to him, as he took his hand back.

"Hey. Do you wanna sit with us?" He nodded towards Josh and Alan, his best friends. I glanced to see if there were any seats available next to one of my sisters. Kathleen was sitting on my Mom's lap and Dad and Collin were sitting at each of Mom's sides. Noelle was across the room from where Josh and Alan were sitting, nicely trying to occupy her time with doodling on a piece of paper. Next to her was Quil (who was talking to Embry) and Nate. She seemed pretty lonely. Tasha was sitting with Sam and Emily, talking up a storm with them. Elise was playing a game of cards with Courtney. I wished Courtney luck, because Elise always cheats. And if she loses, she cries. It's cute that she thinks she can trick us (her older sisters) however I didn't know if Courtney would think it was okay. But Courtney didn't seem to mind. I didn't see Aria anywhere. I looked back at Taylor, knowing that I really had no where else to sit anyhow, and shrugged,

"Sure."

Taylor smiled and made Alan move closer to Josh so I could fit on the pillows with them. Everyone was talking and I wondered when this meeting would start. From the corner of my eye I saw Noelle move her legs up on to the chair with her so that she could rest her paper against them, blocking her face. Her paper slowly moved back down and she revealed her eyes, glaring at me, unamused. I guess she felt weird about me sitting with her ex-boyfriend while she sat with people she didn't really even know.

_Sorry, Noelle. Get over it._

"Hello," Alan held out his hand for me to shake, his arm reached across Taylor. I shook his hand,

"Hi."

"Come here often?"

"Live here."

"Oh?"

Taylor interjected,

"Thanks, Alan. You've introduced yourself enough. She's met ya before."

Alan smiled at me and patted Taylor's shoulder,

"Sure thing, Tay."

Josh waved at me,

"Hey, Ani," he greeted politely.

"Hi, Josh."

Josh leaned in closer to me,

"I feel Noelle sending telepathic hate messages to me. It's uncomfortable."

I nodded,

"Me too."

"Don't worry, it's easy to make Noelle uncomfortable back," Josh looked devious as he turned his head in Noelle's direction, "Hey, Noelle!" He called. She lowered her paper from her eyes again.

"What?"

"Did you know that 'gullible' is not in the dictionary?"

She narrowed her eyes,

"Yeah, right. Like I've never heard that one before."

"No, really, I'm serious."

"Yeah it just happened last week. It was in the paper," Alan added.

Taylor nodded along.

"Really?" Noelle looked astonished.

"Yeah," all three boys said in unison. Everyone else was listening now.

"Wow, that's ridiculous. Like, that's seriously stupid. They should put it back."

"Noelle, are you kidding me?" Deanna asked.

"What?" Noelle looked confused now.

Taylor, Alan, and Josh all started laughing and everyone joined in. Noelle's paper crept back up and covered her eyes again,

"Oh," she mumbled.

Aria's POV

The roar of the car moving quickly through the wind was the only sound for quite a lot of the trip to Where-Ever-It-Is-That-We're-Going. CJ kept his focus on his driving, moving his head every few moments to flick the hair out of his eyes. The strands of brown hair weren't long enough to entirely block his vision, but it seemed that the ends pricked his eyes whenever it hung too low. I tried not to look at him too much, even when he did talk to me. The wind-sound put me to sleep every now and then so I was not all that honestly sure how long it took us to get to the forest-y place. I was not sure why he picked such a rural, snowy, cold destination, either. We were surrounded by trees, snow, and wolves. Talk about feeling at home.

It on top of small hill, in the cold snow that we sat. He pointed to the wolves running below and we watched them for some time. These were _real_ wolves, of course.

Only a few minutes passed before I started shivering badly. It was _c-cold._ My teeth wouldn't stop chattering. It was then that CJ inched closer to me and said,

"I forgot something."

He put his arm around me. I blinked,

"You _forgot_ something?" _What a lame line._

He shrugged, smiling at himself,

"I had to say _something_."

I raised my eyebrows, but happy that my shivering had ceased.

"You might not want to tell Embry," he added, still smiling as if something was funny. I looked at him,

"Might not want to tell him what?" I searched for clarification. This was the wrong time for assumptions. If there's one thing I learned it's to always double-check, even if you seem like you're confused all the time. Better thought a stupid person than a person who is stupid but thinks they're right, I suppose.

"This whole," he lifted his arm off me a little, "Arm-thing." It was funny how he was always searching for words.

"When did you start learning English?" I asked boldly, not certain if it was a weird question or not. His arm rested completely on my shoulders again.

He shrugged,

"I don't remember _not_ knowing English. I was raised in a church with an English-speaking group of priests."

"A _group_ of _priests_? Don't they usually separate out between churches?"

"Maybe they were monks," CJ corrected, "I don't know."

_What…?_

"You _lived with them _and_ you don't know what they were?_"

"Hey," CJ was smiling bigger now, trying not to laugh, and turned to face more towards me, "They didn't talk about it much, okay?"

I laughed,

"You're crazy."

"Mhm."

I tried to make my smile go away but it wouldn't leave my face for some reason. The silence that followed was turning awkward so I started rambling,

"Why can't I tell Embry about you putting your ar-arm around me? I mean, it's cold out so it's only naturally that you would. He wouldn't care, and-and, that's the only reason you did it, right? So it doesn't really matter…"

CJ shrugged some more,

He opened his mouth to speak but ended up saying nothing. Just sort of controlled his smiling.

So I continued,

"He'd understand because as a shapeshifter you almost _have to_ warm someone up when they are cold."

"What?" CJ didn't seem to know why I would say that.

"You know, because you're so warm all the time. Like a hundred-"

"I'm not warm all the time," CJ quickly said, looking like he was trying to understand what I was talking about, his eyes slightly narrowed and searching my face in thought.

"You're not?" I asked immediately, "No, of course you are. You're a shapeshifter. What do you mean? Maybe you're not warm to _you_ but-"

"No, I'm usually cold."

"What? Really? That's- that can't be true." _That's absurd, I feel like I have a heater over my shoulders right now. _

He shrugged,

"Ok, don't believe me. I don't care. You can ask Theresa."

"Theresa says you're cold?" I was annoyed that he so hastily claimed to not care.

"Yeah. She's knows what I'm usually like. So does Jack and Courtney and Josh."

"_Josh_ says you're not cold?" Now it really didn't make since. _Shapeshifters are hot. _

"Well, no, maybe not Josh. But he doesn't count anyway since he just met me."

"He lives with you."

"So?"

"So-, that should count!"

"Sorry, I've never asked him to feel my head for my temperature."

CJ's sarcastic tone made my eyes narrow but I couldn't stop from smiling and laughing,

"You're ridiculous."

CJ laughed too,

"Why does it matter if I am cold or not?"

"All shapeshifters have an unnaturally above-average temperature."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You haven't noticed?"

CJ shook his head, laughing some more at himself,

"Not at all."

I rolled my eyes teasingly,

"Geeze. You need help, CJ."

"Thank you."

I rolled my eyes again, laughing more too,

"You're hot right now," I told him, putting my hand on his arm. I realized how awkward it was of me to say and do that so I took my hand away and looked at the snow on the ground so he wouldn't see me blush.

"Yes, I know. It's strange for me."

"It's never happened before?"

"A few times."

"You didn't think it was weird?" I looked back up at his face.

CJ shrugged _again_,

"Kinda."

I mimicked him shrugging,

"Kinda?"

He chuckled,

"Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"Yeah, actually. You should talk to the other guys about it. That's weird."

He gazed out at the forest and I was glad to get a chance to let out my crazy smiling without him seeing.

**Thanks for reading and pretty please review! =)**


	57. Hop Over

_7-Eleven _

Chapter 57: "Hop Over."

Josh's POV

Although my laughter started dying away with everyone else's around me, I watched the notebook blocking Noelle's face intently, as if I could stare right through it and spy on the girl herself.

But I couldn't and my imagination was left to fill in the blanks. Was she upset? Or angry? Maybe just embarrassed?

I stared and wondered as Dr. Quris stood, ready to officially begin the meeting. He cleared his throat and Noelle didn't bother to look.

"Thank you all for coming," Quris peered around the room and stopped at his third oldest daughter, "If I could have everyone's attention."

I could see her doodling a little more defiantly now, not lowering the paper away from her eyes one bit, and knew that I was going to pay for what I said. Noelle wasn't going to let my teasing slide.

Dr. Quris looked away from her,

"Thank you all for coming," he spoke again, "Unfortunately, I have been informed that despite the importance of this meeting, not everyone is in attendance. Namely, my eldest daughter Aria and the new pack member CJ. Neither seem able to join us at the moment."

Embry shifted uncomfortably, craning his neck around the room as if expecting Aria to magically appear any moment.

_Poor guy. _ _It's no coincidence that CJ and Aria are missing at exactly the same time. _

I remembered the way the two acted around each other and glanced around the room, afraid that someone else might be suspicious. No one seemed to be taking any notice expect Tasha, who had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Something very important and…_unique_ has come to my attention," Quris continued. Next to me, Taylor nudged Ani,

"Any idea what he's going to say?" He whispered to her. Ani shrugged,

"Wild card."

"It seems…" Quris paused, staring at the ground in deep thought, "Well, it is very possible the Parco Emendatio could wear off on certain individuals."

Automatically, my head jerked to Noelle, eyes wide. Every inch of me felt sick as the announcement settled in: _I could need her again. _

That uncontrollable feeling, that irrefutable longing, that powerful beyond powerful desire…it could be back.

I, Joshua BlackHawk, could depend on her again. I would have no choice, no time to think, just to act, just to beg, just to _need_ her.

I felt the greatest relief.

Noelle's POV

"Well, it is very possible the Parco Emendatio could wear off on certain individuals." My dad finished his sentence and the room started to buzz with murmurs and chattering. My head was buzzing louder though.

I focused even harder on my doodle, knowing that Josh would be probably looking at me, it that it would be awkward to look back.

From the corner of my eye I could see that everybody was looking between Josh and I, and then to Embry, and finally Collin and my mom.

With everyone staring at Mom, Dad started speaking again,

"Now, I know this may be very startling, and I'm sorry for the confusion, but I am working my hardest for find definite answered for everything as quickly as possible. I didn't think a problem like this would ever occur, in fact, the possibility never showed itself until just recently. Zachary has never encountered this problem so I know it depends on the individual. I promise you, I am scrambling for answers."

"Excuse, Dr. Quris, do we know how long it would take for it to wear off?" Alan asked. I didn't dare look at him because he was sitting so close to Josh.

Dad shook his head and Zachary spoke up,

"I would say a few months."

The meeting continued with Dad saying the same thing, but in different words.

Jacob stood up as Dad sat down,

"I think it's time we got back to La Push," He told the pack, nodding to Sam. People started to stand up and leave. I would have been happy to run upstairs, but my ankles been killing me since my walk with Brandon so Mom's supposed to bring me to the hospital for X-Rays today. Not to mention it be lame trying to hop out of the room with Josh watching me.

"Ready? Geeze, that meeting ran longer than expected but I'm sure the doctor will still let you in." Mom said, walking over to me with a wink. The appointment was with Dr. Cullen. It was a good thing she never fully understood what happened with Collin and her, or else she'd be a whole lot more worried right now. Mom called over Deanna, who unwillingly got out of Seth's lap and slowly began to walk over to us. She waited until Mom had turned around to face me, then ran back to Seth and kissed him goodbye. Seth beamed like a crazy person as left the house.

"Yes, Mom?" Deanna smiled, obviously lost in her own thoughts.

Mom pointed at me,

"Pick your sister up and bring her to the car."

Josh's POV

I walked out of the Brentwoods' house with Taylor, Alan, Ani.

"Woah, what am I doing? I live there…so, um, bye guys," Ani said, stopping. Taylor laughed,

"Okay, bye, Ani," he held out his arms and they hugged. Alan held open his arms too but Taylor stood in front of him,

"You don't have to hug him," Taylor told her. Ani laughed,

"K, bye."

Taylor caught up to me,

"So, Josh, I guess this means you and Noelle could end up back togeth-"

"Shut up," I warned him, "And leave me alone."

He and Alan ran into the woods and phased while I sat down next to a bush, trying to relax myself. The last thing I needed was Taylor to start teasing me.

"Don't hit my ankle when we walk through the doorway!" I heard Noelle say in a high-pitched voice, "Seriously! _Dee-Ann-AAA,_ be careful!"

Quickly, I moved around the bush, hiding as Dee carried Noelle past me, Jenny following them to their car.

_What? Why isn't Noelle walking?_

And, after that, well, I couldn't help it….I had to know where they were going. The next thing I knew, I was sneaking past the front desk at the hospital and tip-toeing up to the examination room they were in. Jenny had left to find a bathroom so I eavesdropped on Noelle and Dee's conversation,

"So, Noelle, tell me again what happened? How did you twist your ankle?" Deanna asked, "You just fell again?"

"No! It wasn't my fault this time. I was walking with Brandon, and then this wolf-I don't know who-came out from the woods and then Brandon started freaking out, because he didn't know that it was a shapeshifter. And then I was really afraid because I didn't want Josh finding out that I was with Brandon, because he really didn't want me to be hanging out with him because of the whole party thingy. But I don't think anyone has told him yet, because he didn't seem to know at the meeting-"

"Wait," said Dee, cutting in, "I was in wolf form between when you were with Brandon and the meeting, and nobody said anything about seeing you fall. Then, it must've been CJ cause he's the only one that can't share thoughts!"

"Right...whatever, as long as Josh never finds out." said Noelle, shortly, "It's none of his business anyway."

I rolled my eyes; _I can hear you right NOW. As if she really thinks she can hide something from ME_.

"So," continued Noelle, "Then Brandon like almost left me when he first saw the wolf, he literally started running away, but then he remembered me or something, and tried to be a hero. So, he tried protecting me-HA!-but ended up just falling tripping, causing _me_ to fall and twist my ankle on the way down."

"So, really it was Bandon's fault that you broke your ankle..." Dee summed it up.

"Yup." said Noelle.

I was shaking all over. I couldn't believe this. First, Noelle had hung out with Brandon when she promised me she wouldn't; Second, Brandon had broken her ankle. I started running towards the exit, not caring who saw me, and darted into the woods, phasing the second I was out of sight. I didn't stop running, though. I was going to find this Brandon kid, and I was going to kill him.

I ran through the streets of Forks in my wolf form, passing houses, sniffing the air for Brandon's scent. But something else caught my attention first: Charles.

I could smell him, I could smell his scent…but it was old, very stale. It got stronger and stronger until I reached a blue house, then the scent mixed with Brandon's. Excitement bubbled inside of me as I realized what I had just discovered, when Charles left Forks Brandon moved into his old house. But why hadn't we been able to smell Charles scent and find his house when we were searching Forks before?

I didn't know, and right now I didn't care. I could hear someone inside of Brandon's house, and I was going to attack. I checked to make sure no one was watching and phased back into my human form. I have to admit, it took awhile to calm myself down enough to do it. I wasn't sure how I had managed to pull my pants off before phasing outside of the hospital, but I had them and pulled them on.

I rang the doorbell repeatedly. I heard _him _running down the stairs, and the door swung open.

When he saw me his eyes widened, "Hey, you're that guy-"

But instead of letting him finish, I punched him straight in the stomach. He doubled over.

"Yeah," I said, "I'm that guy that saved your date. I'm surprised you remembered me from the party, considering how drunkyou were. You better be thankful I held back on that punch, a real one would have killed ya. And there's a lot more where that came from. Bottom line: Stay the hell away from Noelle Brentwood. If I _EVER_ see or hear that you were around her again, I will be back for round 2. And trust me; I won't have any problem with killing you then."

Brandon was still groaning with pain, so I continued. "Making her fall while you were walking? Are you serious?"

"She told you that?" He managed to croak, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, she and I are really tight." I lied. I wish we could be tight like we were before, but _no_ I had to drink that stupid potion. "Listen, you need to _stay away_ from her, okay? I'm not scared to pay another little visit." I said, and then jogged back into the forest to phase.

Embry's POV

I was on my way back to the Brentwood's house to see if Aria would be there. Noelle had told me this morning that Aria had left a note saying she was mad with me and wanted some space.

Just then, Josh's thoughts crashed into mine. Violent thoughts were filling his brain and images of a fight he had just been in played as a slideshow.

_What exactly did you do to this Brandon guy?_ Paul asked. He, Leah, and Seth were all on shift.

He replayed the scene in his head, so that we could see the whole thing.

_What a jerk_, I said when he was finished.

_You could've really hurt him. _Leah commented.

_Jacob will be mad when he finds out, _Seth chimed in.

_Just don't tell _anyone_ okay? _He pleaded with us, but I was now at the Brentwood's house, and phased into human form, slipping on my shorts.

I jogged up to the door, and rang the doorbell. Noelle answered, sporting crutches. "Hi, Embry. Aria isn't here," she said dismissively.

"Well, do you know where she is?" I asked hopefully.

"Maybe," she eyed me, "But why should I tell you?"

"Please!" I begged her. "I'll do anything! …I'll even tell you about something that happened between Josh and Brandon!" I knew I wasn't supposed to say anything, but knowing where Aria is was worth it. And I knew Noelle would want to know information about Josh and Brandon.

At this, her eyes widened, and I knew I had said the magic words.

"Fine." she agreed, "I'm pretty sure that Aria's with CJ somewhere."

I sighed. That wasn't a location. This wasn't a fair trade.

"Well, Josh just got back from beating Brandon up."

"WHAT?" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, I'm off to Josh's house to see if Aria's there, since CJ is staying with him."

"No, wait, I'm coming with you!" She called after me. "You can drive one of our cars. Just hold on a sec, I want Ani to come with us too."

When we arrived at Josh's house, Noelle, Ani and I all got out of the car, and I walked up, in head of them, to the front door.

When I rang to doorbell, CJ answered it, looking mischievous.

"Is Aria here?" I growled at him.

"Oh, no, sorry, she's not here at the moment." He answered in his Spanish accent that I suddenly hated. I hadn't believed it before, but I could see it in his eyes now- he had been with Aria. Something was going on behind my back.

"Well, were you with her today?" I continued.

"Is that any of your business?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes! She is my girlfriend!" I exclaimed.

"Well, actually, last time I checked, she was pretty mad at you…" he pointed out.

My eyes popped out of my face. I knew why I didn't believe him, he _smelled_ like her. Her scent was _all over_ his clothes! I could tell that he wasn't lying, though, she wasn't here now.

"How dare you! Who do you think you are? You can't just show up and start stealing pack member's girlfriends! That's not being part of the pack! Oh you just wait until Jacob hears about this-" I couldn't bare looking at him any longer, so I looked towards the woods.

"She's at the beach," CJ admitted.

I ran to the car and jumped in, driving away towards the beach.

Noelle's POV 

"No wait!" I called after Embry, as he drove off with out me and Ani. "Damn it! That had my crutches in it!"

"What, can he really just forget about us that quickly?" Ani asked, sounding annoyed.

"Tell me about it." I agreed, walking up to the open front door, with CJ standing in it.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Um…yes. Do you know, by any chance, if Josh is here?"

"No…why?"

"I just needed to ask him a couple of things." I tried to say calmly.

"Well, if you don't mind, I actually have to go and do some errands." He said, steeping outside and closing the door behind him.

"Oh, right." I turned to Ani, asking, "How are we supposed to get home?"

"Can't you walk? Don't you know the way home?" CJ asked.

I held out my bandaged ankle.

"Oh," He said, "Then why don't I give you a ride home?"

"Yeah, thanks!" I smiled.

"Here, why don't I carry you over to the car," he offered.

"Um…" I said, but he had already picked me up. _Wow, this is awkward_ I had never really been carried by any guy except Josh. I looked to Ani for help. She got the message.

"CJ, why don't you put down Noelle?"

"Well, because she's got a broken ankle. Why, do you have a problem with that?"

"Actually, it's just sprained." I corrected him.

"Oh, sprained?" CJ put me down, "Hop over."

He had a convertible car, which was pretty cool, except it was too cold to put the roof down.

"Thanks for driving us." Ani said when we got out.

"Sure." He answered.

I used Ani's shoulder for support as we went back into the house. Once we were inside, I sat down on the couch, disappointed that I didn't get to yell at Josh like I was planning on doing at his house.

Josh's POV

I was in wolf for again, on my way to the Brentwood's house, because according to CJ, Noelle stopped by and wanted to see me. It was technically my turn to be on shift, but I had better things to do. When I neared the house, I phased, put on shorts, and ran up to the door. When I rang the doorbell, Ani answered.

"Hi." she said.

"Hey, is Noelle here?" I asked.

"Yeah, she's right there." Ani pointed to the couch in the living room, where Noelle was sitting.

When I approached her, she was glaring at me,

"We need to talk, in _private._ We are going to the backyard."

"Okay." I said, a bit scared about what was going to happen.

She stood up on one foot, and wobbled a bit.

"Where are your crutches?" I asked her. Dee had told me that she had gotten crutches for her sprained ankle.

"I left them in a car with Embry and he went to the beach," she answered.

I didn't press the question.

"Here, why don't I carry you?" I said, lifting her up.

"No!" She yelled, and smacked me-ineffectively-on the chest. "Put me down! I can walk!"

I examined her bandaged ankle, and decided to ignore her request, carrying her through the kitchen, and out the kitchen back door.

"_Now_ put me down." She demanded as I stepped off the porch and onto the lawn.

I did what she said, and then asked,

"So, what did you want to say to me?"

At this point, she glared, and said,

"How _dare_ you do that! How dare you go to Brandon's house, and beat him up! Do you know how much stronger you are than him? You could've killed him!"

I was in shock that she knew this, but figured it was stupid Embry. After all, she had left her crutches in his car.

"What was I supposed to do?" I asked. "He was the one that caused your hurt ankle! Him, being a coward! Noelle, you promised me that you wouldn't hang out with him anymore!"

"No, I remember it exactly. I said 'sure.' I didn't say, yes or no, I simply said sure." She argued.

"Well then why would you even hang out with him? Didn't you learn _anything_ from that party you went to? Didn't you learn how dangerous he was?"

"Listen Josh, what I do is _none_ of your business." She hissed.

"Oh, yes it is. Don't you remember? _I_ was the one who saved you from that party! If I hadn't been there, than who knows what would've happened!"

She sighed, "Fine, whatever, but you can't go beating people up for mistakes. He _accidentally_ fell on me! Oh, and don't act like you're all sweet and innocent and everything! Just this morning you made fun of me in front of everyone! And don't think that I'm going to let that slip!"

"Noelle, it was a joke!"

"Yeah, well it wasn't funny!"

We stood there, both exasperated from our arguing, looking at each other. And suddenly I wanted nothing more than to kiss her.

**Please review!** Sorry for the long wait!


	58. Voldemort

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 58: "Voldemort"

Noelle's POV

The melting snow was making my shoes damp and the wind kept on blowing my long hair into my face but I did _not_ move. Josh was going to get stared at until he apologized- _with really meaning it._

A change of expression rippled across his face, first at his mouth, then his eyes and forehead.

Maybe he had a change of heart?

What was he thinking of doing next?

I held my breath, remembering another time he and I were alone in my backyard, before I knew about the werewolves…he had told me my hair was pretty and then…

I closed my eyes. The memory stopped in its tracks and melted away. I heard Josh take a step forward in the snow and for a moment I panicked, considering whether to run or to scold him if he tried to….to…

I stopped the memory again.

_This is getting ridiculous._

A sharp scream suddenly pierced through my thoughts and my eyes flew open. The sound had come from the house. It was terrifying.

I turned and ran to the porch, Josh close behind me. He beat me to the door and yanked it open. I was glad and surprised he didn't rip it off of its hinges.

"What's going on?" He asked, in a loud voice as we moved into the living room. Tasha kneeled on the couch, looking out of the front windows.

She turned to us,

"Embry's mad at Aria."

"Why did you scream tho-"

"That's not anything new," Josh started before I finished, still looking ready to fight.

"He's coming in with her now; I think it's going to be really bad!" Tasha warned us, "I tried to distract them with my scream but it didn't work, they didn't pay attention to it."

Josh moved to peer through the window and I did the same.

Embry was yelling at Aria, she refused to get out of the car.

"This isn't good," Josh muttered. I looked at him and saw his eyes were searching, as if he were thinking. "How did he find out about her being with CJ?"

I realized he could hear what they were saying.

Then I remembered that _I_ had told him about her being with CJ.

"That was me," I admitted automatically.

He didn't say anything but he didn't look mad.

"We have to do something when they get inside, I have a feeling they'll just get worse," Tasha insisted to us.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" I asked.

"Dad's at work and Mom's out with Elise and Kathleen."

Josh shook his head,

"But of course. Why would your parents _ever_ be home when we need them?"

"We need to do _something_!" I agreed with Tasha.

"I'll talk to him," Josh decided, as Embry tugged Aria's arm hard enough to force her out of the car.

"Did he really just do that?" My mouth dropped, "Did Embry really just do that?"

"I told you it could get bad," Tasha whispered, sinking into the couch as Embry and Aria approached the window. Josh and I stepped back. He looked at me and I nodded at him expectantly as the door opened. I sat down on the couch.

"Don't you EVER tell me that again y-"

"Watch me, I'll tell you ever time that ev-"

"Shut up, you're such a-"

"I bet you tell him everything about us-"

"How dare you, I never would d-"

"Yes you would, I kno-"

"Embry! I've meaning to talk to you…" Josh broke in awkwardly, acting as if the arguing was not taking place at all.

Embry looked at Josh, his eyes running up and down as if he had never seen him before in his life,

"_What_?" he didn't sound happy.

"Um," Josh faltered for a second then said, "Thanks for letting Noelle know about me beating up He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Tasha leaned over to me and whispered,

"Voldemort? Is Josh trying to be funny?"

I knew Josh meant Brandon, but didn't want to explain that to Tasha now. Embry and Josh both smirked a bit, obviously over-hearing Tasha.

"No problem, Joshy. In my defense, she had information I needed badly. It was merely a trade. Don't take it personally."

Aria looked at me and I looked away. I didn't mean to rat her out.

Josh's face reddened but he continued,

"That wasn't a very fair trade. The only thing you found out was that Aria had been with CJ…that doesn't mean very much compared to me beating up Brandon. For all you know, Aria and CJ were planning your surprise birthday party. Let's be realistic here, you gave Noelle facts while Noelle gave you rumors. Stupid trade you made."

"It's not my fault your girlfriend's incompetent," Embry shrugged. Josh's face got darker and his fists tensed. "Anyway, _you_ should be the one worried about foul play. Aren't you humbly giving CJ and his friend, Theresa, a place to stay and free food to eat?"

Josh's eyes narrowed and he looked confused,

"Yes…"

Aria shifted uncomfortably, as if she knew and dreaded what Embry was going to say next.

"So don't you think it was rather shallow of him to backstab you like that?"

Josh twitched and his arm lifted a little behind him, as if he was feeling to see if there really was a knife in his back.

"What? What are you talking about? CJ didn't backstab me! You're the one who should be worried about him!"

"You idiot. He _saw_ Brandon hurt Noelle on their walk. He knew about the entire thing. Did he tell you? No. He, in fact, deliberately hid it from you. Aria told me all about it. They made a deal."

The way Embry phrased my walk with Brandon annoyed me, he was purposely making it sound worse to upset Josh.

"A deal?" Josh asked quietly, now seeming rather stunned.

"Well, that's why she was with him all day. He'll keep Noelle's secret from you so long as he can spend a whole day with her. With_ my girlfriend_. Of course, I sort of interrupted that so I guess it's ok that I told you the secret. The deal's off."

Josh's body was shaking as he bounded out of the house, probably running into his wolf form as soon as he hit the woods.

"Get out of this house," Aria demanded Embry, pointing to the door.

Embry shuffled his way over to the front door before speaking again,  
"…This doesn't mean we're broken up, does it?" His voice was suddenly softer and more innocent-sounding.

He looked hurt as he asked Aria. She sighed,

"You better make one hell of an apology if you want to fix this."

"I'll meet you at the Cullens house tomorrow at 11," Embry said after thinking for a moment, "I think I have an answer to that question you asked earlier."

And Embry left the house.

"The Cullens? Ani's there now. With Taylor. Her eyes started turning black so he went over there with her," Tasha said.

"Turning black?" I asked, curiously.

"They do that when they are hungry."

"How do you know so much about vampires?"

Tasha shrugged,

"Sometimes Nessie drops by looking for Dee and we talk."

Kelsey's POV

"Josh- STOP! Mother said NO running in the kitchen!"

My brother pushed me out of his way, running up the stairs. I ran after him, "Don't you mess up the house, Joshua! Mother will make me clean it as a chore!"

I got to the hallway just soon enough to see Josh pull CJ out of his room by his shirt. CJ pushed him off,

"What's going on?" CJ asked.

"You traitor! Do you know what you did! You're supposed to be PART OF OUR PACK. You ruin everything! Get out of my house!"

Theresa walked out of the room, her eyes wide. She inched around the boys and came to stand behind me.

"What did I do?" CJ asked.

"You know what you did. You tried to steal Embry's girlfriend. Being a traitor to Embry is bad enough, but to me? Don't you realize you're living in MY HOUSE? Eating MY FOOD?"

"Wait, wait, what did I do to you?" CJ asked again.

"You knew about Brandon and Noelle's walk together. You knew but you didn't tell me all because you want to steal Embry's girlfriend."

Josh hit CJ on the head,

"Think about something else for once!"

"I wanted to tell you!" CJ insisted, "I was dying to tell you! But Aria, she, she wanted to protect her sister and made me promise not to tell you. She convinced me not to."

"You traded a day with her," Josh pointed out, "Don't act like you're a victim, you got what you wanted."

"I'm sorry, okay? She made a pretty good argument. Wouldn't you keep a secret for Noelle?"

Josh's face held a deathly look. He didn't need to say anything for CJ to get the message.

I cleared my throat,

"Can we finish this discussion outside? Dad is going to be home soon."

At the mention of Father, Josh broke his stare with CJ and I could see the distant fear in his eyes.

"Okay."

The walk to the backyard was silent. By the time we got there, CJ and Josh had cooled down.

Ani's POV

My eyes focused on something far away, a movement of brown fur. Next to me, Taylor in his wolf form was patiently waiting for me to choose a target. Back at the Cullens house a few yards behind us, Dr. Cullen and Nessie watched.

"_Just do whatever your instincts tell you."_

I wasn't so sure about that. My instincts were telling me one thing: run away and maybe you can get out of this.

But my throat was _killing_ me. I glanced at Taylor next to me; he nodded in the direction of the woods encouragingly.

_I can't believe they are making Taylor come with me as my bodyguard. What's going to come after a vampire-human-thing?_

I wasn't ready to hunt anything just yet, but I decided to move further into the woods anyways.

Trees flew by me as I artfully avoided them. Taylor kept up next to me, his wolf paws pounding against the snow-and-leaf forest floor as easily as my feet ran. I only meant to run a little ways, but soon I couldn't help it. I wanted to run farther. We moved past trees and trees and trees. I could focus my eyes on little things, like bugs on the ground or birds flying above us in the branches. It must have been a couple hours because Taylor eventually let out a little bark and made me follow him to a small pond. It was covered in a sheer layer of ice. I crouched down by it, watching as Taylor stepped on it cautiously, breaking the ice in one spot. He dipped his muzzle into the cold water and drank. I lied back on the ground, only feeling a little cold. Then I heard something moving nearby.

A person?

No, not this far into the forest.

A werewolf?

I sniffed the air,

_A deer._

The burning and inching sensation in my throat roared. Uncontrollably, I sprung up on my feet, hardly making a sound. Taylor lifted his head from the pond, alert. My eyes focused on the deer.

It looked so helpless…

I hesitated.

Something furry brushed against my hand. I looked to my left to see Taylor next to me.

He looked at me and I knew what he was trying to say:

_If you don't, I will_.

I braced myself for what I was about to, and I raced forward. At the noise I was making, the deer lifted its head and started to run away.

I felt myself panic, I needed that deer!  
I pushed my legs harder against the forest floor, trying to make myself faster.

The deer veered to the right and I followed it, catching up.

I felt relief as I got closer. I relaxed, knowing I would be able to reach it in another moment or so-

It took a sharp left turn and I was left further behind it now.

"Ugh!"

I just wanted this to be over already.

I could feel myself begin to sweat as I pushed myself to run faster. I caught up to it again, this time watching to see if it would turn. And sure enough, it took a sharp left again. This time, I anticipated it and the deer ended up practically running right into me.

I grabbed it awkwardly. Taylor padded up next to me, looking happy.

"Uh-" I stuttered, unsure of what to do. He understood and bit the deer to help me. He looked at me, and then to the deer's throat. I hesitated but Taylor growled at me so I closed my eyes and sunk my teeth into the deer.

Blood filled my mouth and for a second I thought I was going to drown in it. I forced myself to swallow and was immediately glad afterwards- the pain in my throat dissolved. I was so relieved I didn't even mind the taste or the fact that I had just hunted a deer.

Afterwards, I offered some to Taylor but he shook his head.

"Are you sure? It's actually not so bad…" I admitted.

He sort of laughed…in a weird, barking kind of manner and then took off to phase behind a tree he walked back over to me after dressing.

"Congrats," he smiled, "First official hunt, right?"

I smiled,

"Stop. I'm trying not to think about it."

He pointed to my face,

"You got something, right there."

I tried to wipe my mouth clean of blood,

"Is it gone?"

"Not really."

I wiped it again,

"How about now?"

"No. Here," he stepped close to me and lifted his hand to my face. I tried not to flinch away as he wiped the blood off of my cheek. His face was so close to mine, I could feel him breathing.

He wiped his hand clean on his shorts.

"There, all done."

"Thanks," I said, stepping back and looking down at the ground.

"No problem," he mumbled.

"Soo…um, should we, like, go back to the Cullens' now?"

I looked back up at Taylor. He shrugged,

"I suppose."

" 'K."

"I mean…um, unless you want to go back to that pond we were at earlier…you know, to get a drink first."

I could still taste blood in my mouth. Maybe it would be good to wash it away with a nice drink of cold water. I mean, I was a little sweaty from running. Taylor was all sweaty too, so he would probably want a drink to cool off.

I looked around,

"Which way was the pond again? We kinda ran far from it…"

"Yeah, we did. I remember though," Taylor said, "Here." He held out his hand. I looked at it for a second. "I'll show you the way back," Taylor added, as if it was necessary for us to hold hands in order for him to do that. I raised my eyebrows. He reached his hand out, closer to me, and just grabbed my hand on his own. He looked south-east, "Now," he took a deep breath, "It's this way." And he started to walk, not letting go of my hand.

I walked with him.

"Hey, um, Ani…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know any songs?"

"…What?"

_No, I don't know any songs at all! Geeze, what is wrong with this guy?_

"Um, I mean, like can you sing any for me? I haven't really gotten to hear you sing before."

My face reddened and my heart skipped with embarrassment.

"Uh," I didn't know what to say.

"Please?" Taylor asked, looking at me with smoldering eyes. I bit my lip,

"I don't know…"

CJ's POV

"Kelsey, why don't you go back inside?" Josh asked his little sister once we reached the backyard.

"You too, Theresa?" I said to my roommate. Both of the girls rolled their eyes before going back to the house.

"Look, I understand that you wanted to keep a secret for Aria. Those Brentwood girls can be confusing sometimes. I mean, just today, I was arguing with Noelle when all of a sudden I wanted to kiss her!"  
"Oh no…you didn't…_imprint_ on her again, did you?"

"How did you hear about that?" I asked, "You weren't at the meeting!"

"Courtney told me."

"Oh. Well…no, I didn't."

"Ah…you know, when I was with Aria, she told me something that I wanted to ask you about…"

"What?"

"Are you hot all the time? Like, your body temperature?"

"Mhm. All werewolves are. Don't sweat it, it's normal…haha, pun not intended!"

"…But, I'm usually cold."

"Cold?"

"Yeah. Like, to other people when they touch me."

Josh took a step forward a placed a hand on my arm. His hand was almost burning it was so hot. His mouth dropped,

"You're as cold as a dead person!"

"Exactly!"

"You're like this all the time?"  
"No, only usually. I get warm if I'm angry or…or when I'm with Aria."

Josh looked confused,

"That's…so…weird. We have to tell Jake. Dude, you're as cold as the bloodsuckers!"

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	59. Secret Meeting

_7-Eleven _

Chapter 59: "Secret Meeting"

* * *

Deanna's POV

My eyes fluttered open. Birds were quietly singing outside of my bedroom window. Ani slept peacefully in the bunk above me. Seth snored into his pillow beside me. I pushed myself up onto my arms and leaned over, checking the digital clock by my bed.

10:00

I relaxed back down on my mattress and closed my eyes, ready to return to my tranquil sleeping.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

I sighed.

"Who is it?" I muttered loudly, hearing Ani sit up in her bed, awoken by the harsh sound. She must have slept in today because of all the running she did while she was hunting yesterday.

Seth remained asleep, undisturbed by the noise.

"Taylor," replied the disturbance from the other side of the door.

"Come in."

Taylor opened the door, blushing when he saw Ani.

"Whaddo you wa-ant?" I asked him, my words slightly distorted by my pillow.

"You and Seth, there's a meeting. It's at Sam's place in twenty minutes."

I groaned,

"Do I havvve to go?"

"Yeah, it's super important apparently. So, come on, get up and wake up Seth."

I snorted,

"Yeah right. _You_ try and wake him up!"

"Hi, Ani," Taylor finally greeted my twin sister.

"Hey," Ani smiled, trying to fix her hair.

"Heyy…" Taylor sounded dazed suddenly, staring at Ani. I raised my eyebrows then looked down at sleepy Seth. I patted his bare back, he looked _so tired_.

But I had to wake him up or we'd both be in trouble.

"So, about yesterday…" Taylor continued to Ani. I glanced up at him, curious as to what happened yesterday.

Ani laughed awkwardly,

"Um, yeah, I'm sorry…That's never happened to me before."

"It's no problem. Was weird though, right?"

"Yeah. Weird. We still on for the Cullens?"

"Oh, yeah. See ya there…" Taylor made no move to leave the room.

I leaned down and kissed Seth's cheek. He stirred, inhaling and opening his eyes to see me. He smiled,

"Goodmorning…Why does it smell like Taylor in here?"

I nodded up towards where Taylor was standing and Seth rolled over to see,

"Ah. Goodmorning."

"Morning, Seth. Sorry for waking you, but we have a meeting and-"

Seth rolled his eyes and mouthed so only I could see,

"Whatever, just go away!"

I stifled a giggle. Sometimes Seth gets annoyed with the 'younglings,' as he likes to call Taylor, Josh, and the other younger pack members. He makes an exception for me, of course, because he says I'm more mature than what my age technically is.

Taylor noticed my almost-giggle and trailed off. His cheeks turned a little pink as he glanced up at Ani. Then he turned and awkwardly walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Seth stuffed his face back into a pillow, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me close to his body. I cuddled up next to him, hugging him back and resting my face in the crook of his neck.

"We really should get going, shouldn't we?" Seth mumbled, turning his face to me. I quietly nodded.

Slowly, we both got out of bed and tip-toed to the bathroom to wash our faces.

"Ugh, dammit, I still have dirt on my legs from when I ran into that puddle of mud."

"Here," I handed him a towel as I brushed my teeth.

"It's no good. I'll have to take a shower soon. I guess I could stop by at my place after the meeting."

"Your mom will probably want to see you," I added, washing off my toothbrush. Seth shrugged and pointed to my tooth brush,

"Can I borrow that?"

I smiled,

"Sure. But I have to warn you, I can't guarantee that none of my sisters use it too."

Seth looked slightly disgusted, which I wasn't expecting.

"Really? Ew."

"Well," I quickly tried to explain, "It's difficult to mark which toothbrush is whose. Marker always washes or rubs off and there are never seven different colors in a pack."

Seth used the toothbrush nonetheless and we were heading out the door the next minute.

"Oh, Seth, I didn't know that you got here. Which door did you use?" My Mom had spotted the two of us right as we stepped outside.

"Um, the back?"

"That's strange; I've been in the kitchen all morning…"

"…yeah, um, I meant the office door."

"It's locked."

I widened my eyes at Seth, he returned my expression: Mom knew that Seth had stayed over.

"The front…?" Seth muttered his final attempt.

"Mhm. Look, I know that Collin and Zachary decided to move to sleep in the playroom, but I can very easily have them move back into your room, Deanna, if I can't trust you with a closed door."

"Mrs. Brentwood, this really isn't the time. Deanna and I are late for an important meeting."

Mom looked taken aback,

"Excuse me?"

I couldn't believe that Seth had just said that. I shot him a 'look' just incase he didn't realize what he had said, but he didn't notice.

"If I _ever_ find you inside my house after 9 o'clock at night or before 9 o'clock in the morning _ever_ again-"

I grabbed Seth's hand, worried that my Mom's yelling was bothering him. I wanted to yell back at her for raising her voice at Seth, but I knew that would do more harm than good.

Seth squeezed my hand,

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we really must be going."

He turned and continued walking towards the woods, me coming along with him. I hung my head low, ashamed at my mother's offended expression.

"Deanna Nicole Brentwood! You get back here this instant!"

But I didn't dare look back at her as Seth and I started running, in our human forms, through the woods.

"You don't want to phase?" I asked him.

He shook his head,

"I can barely deal with just my thoughts right now. Probably half the pack is in wolf form, you know, heading to the meeting."

"Of course."

Something was up. Seth was acting strange. Maybe he was stressed out?

"Seth? Is there anything wrong?"

Seth looked at me, and for a second I could see straight through his eyes to his heart….it was breaking. Seth's heart was breaking.

I was shocked, _something this bad? How could it be? We tell each other everything! How could something sneak up on me like this?_

Just as I saw his heart break, we both quit running and he closed the space between us, throwing his arms around me and lifting me off of the forest floor. I hugged him too, my blood racing as I wondered what possibly could be so wrong. I kissed the top of his head and he lowered me until we were face-to-face.

"Deanna," right after he said my name, his eyes swelled up like his was about to cry. I put a hand on his cheek,

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"I don't want to ever be away from you."

"We hardly ever are, don't worry. I'll try harder to spend more time with you, Seth, I promise."

He kissed me.

"No, I meant," he began to clarify, "Jake has asked me to do something that I can't stand to do…"

"What? What it is?"_ Jake doesn't usually ask for anything unreasonable._

Seth kissed my cheek and whispered,

"He wants me to leave on a mission to Italy."

"Italy?" I felt my heart stop. I was getting dizzy already. "F-for how long?"

"However long it takes."

I couldn't help myself from hugging him tightly again, I tried to hug all of the anxiety out of me. My mind and body were going crazy just at the _idea_ of Seth leaving far away for any amount of time.

* * *

CJ's POV   
I was shaken awake by Josh  
"Mh? What do you want?"

"For you to wake up, Freeloader."  
"Well good morning sunshine," I replied groggily, "What's up?"  
"We have to go to the meeting so we can figure out what's wrong with you," Josh said, handing me a plate of breakfast foods.

"It's so early tho- did you just say something was wrong with me?" I said, finally waking up.  
"Yeah, there is, considering you aren't like the rest of us. That's clearly something bad."

"Ow," I said, a little offended. I looked down at the plate, "Bacon, eggs, pancakes…? You shouldn't have, sweetie."

Josh rolled his eyes,

"It was Theresa. She got up early today," Josh motioned towards her empty bed.

I began to gobble down the food.  
"We have to go, _now_," Josh told me, pulling at my arm. I stuffed my mouth and gave him a thumbs up, "Ok, let's run."  
As we reached the edge of the woods we shifted. We arrived at Sam's house and sat with Jake. Alan and Taylor moved so they could sit next to Josh. It turns out we were actually late. The only people who arrived after us were Dee and Seth, who were practically hugging each other as they walked in and didn't let go once throughout the whole meeting.

"Ahem," Jake began, as Emily moved about the room placing down trays of food with Sam helping her. "We all know that there have been some interesting occurrences lately, and I'll give everyone who has something to share have a chance to speak, but first-"

"Jake!" Nessie had entered the room.

"Ness?" Jake's face lit up at seeing the girl.

The girl walked over to Jake (who had stood up) and placed a hand on his arm to show him something. He nodded and the girl sat down on the other side of him. I didn't like smelling vampire so close by.

Jake began again,

"We will start with Josh," Jake nodded to Josh and Josh stood up,

"Everyone by now knows CJ," I waved as Josh continued, "But do you know that he is different?"

I narrowed my eyes,

"Josh!" I whispered to him, "Stop! You're making me sound weird!"

"Uh, no duh he's different. He's from Spain," remarked Nate from across the room.

Josh nodded,

"Come up here and place your hand on his shoulder."

Nate hesitantly rose from his seat and maneuvered around the other guys. He approached me and looked at Jake and Josh, then reached out a hand. I flinched a little, automatically, but he managed to put his hand on my shoulder.

His hand was blazing hot on my skin. He pulled away,

"What the hell?" His eyes were wide, "That's…weird."

One by one, the rest of the pack stood and huddled around me, placing their hands on my skin.

"Dude, you're freezing!"

"Bleh, you're like a bloodsucker!"

"Gross."

"Strange."  
I was feeling uncomfortable.

I heard a door open and a moment later Aria came marching into the room, followed silently by Ani. Most of the pack stepped away from me. Embry moved over to Aria,

"What are you doing here?"

"Hey, you don't feel so cold anymore…" Alan mumbled to me.

"I should ask you the same thing! It's after 11:00! You said you'd meet me at the Cullens!" Aria snapped.

"And Taylor promised me the same thing," Ani told Embry, not meeting Taylor's gaze.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, there was this meeting that I had to get to and it's actually about your question so…" Embry trailed off, Aria's stare was terribly unforgiving. Not knowing what else to do, Embry hugged her.

"Ouch!" Kyle, who was the only person who had kept his hand on me to this point, stepped back and examined his hand.

"What?" Jake moved his attention to the boy.

"It felt like he burned me," Kyle explained. His hand was fine.

Jake looked to Josh. Josh looked at me. But I kept my eyes fixed on Aria and Embry. The two weren't paying attention to Kyle and I. Aria was just trying to whisper to him quietly.

Josh put his hand on my arm,

"He feels like he's burning," he told Jake, "He's hotter than I am."

"Can we get that recorded?" Seth said, humorously.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's a rare occasion when Josh doesn't claim to be the hottest person ever," Dee agreed. The pair still had an arm around the other.

Nate curiously was placing a hand on me. I shot him look and he backed off.

_I feel like I'm Josh's pet for show-and-tell. _

"No more touching," I told everyone, "Josh has made his point."

"He's a freak," Josh said, sounding thoughtful. Aria and Embry were watching us now. I looked at her straight in the eyes and she looked back for a minute before looking away to the wall.

Ani stood with her arms crossed, looking at all of the guys awkwardly. Dee waved for her to sit down with her and Seth, and Ani did.

"Just stay for the rest of the meeting and we'll find an answer," Embry whispered in to Aria's ear. Aria looked back at me for a split second then sat down with Embry.

"It seems that we'll need to look further into this," Jake said to Josh. Everyone murmured their agreement. "Now, I believe you have some other news as well, Josh?"

"Yeah, some of you already know but I found the house Charles used to live in. The scent was pretty strong. I don't understand why we couldn't detect it earlier."

"He's good at hiding," Jake agreed.

Leah stood,

"That has to be his power. He's good at hiding. It's the only thing that could explain what's been happening. That must be how he escaped us, he just hid and we were confused."

"Are you saying he turned invisible?" Sam asked. Leah looked at Jake,

"That's exactly what I'm saying. The more desperate he is, the better he can hide."

My head hurt, _Who is Charles again?_

Jake nodded,

"You're right, Leah. We should ask the Cullens what they think about it."

Nessie took Jake's hand.

What she was showing him, he seemed to think it was frightening. He closed his eyes and appeared to hold Nessie's hand tighter.

* * *

Analiese's POV

"Ani! Ani!" I looked over my shoulder so see Taylor sprinting towards me. The meeting had ended and I was pacing outside of the house, waiting for Aria. "Hey, look, I'm really sorry, I-I didn't think the meeting would take so long, cuz, well, it wasn't supposed to, but it just did, cuz, Dee and Seth, they were kinda late and, yeah…"

I nodded,

" 'Kay."

Taylor narrowed his eyes, looking at me closely,

"Is everything-uh- okay? I mean, we could, you know, still head over to the Cullens like, in a few minutes, you know? We could prob still talk to 'em."

I shrugged, looking up at the clouds above us,

"Sure. So long as it doesn't rain on us."

Taylor looked up then furrowed his eyebrows,

"I-I don't know if I can promise that."

I opened my hand and peered at it, wondering if Taylor could see the different shades of skin as clearly as I could.

"Well, I don't want to get rained on and I am waiting for Aria so she can drive me and her home," I explained, in mumbles. Taylor understood every word, thanks to his super-good hearing.

He crossed his arms and nodded,

"Ok. I'll wait with you, then, just in case it takes her awhile or, um, something," He decided.

"I don't need a bodyguard," I reminded him, "I _do_ have some pretty good skills."

He bit his lip,

"Sorry, Ani…I only wanted to stand with you a little more. If you are sure that Aria will be out soon, I'll leave you alone since you don't need any company."

As he spoke, a group of kids moved across the yard towards the edge of the woods. I watched as Aria, Deanna, Seth, Embry, Nessie, and Jake all stepped into the forest, whispering amongst one another. I tried to stretch my hearing to listen in, but I couldn't make words out of the sounds.

"What are they saying?" I said aloud, and Taylor turned to see what I was talking about. They were pretty far away from us, but I was sure he must be able to still hear them, "They are too quiet for me to understand," I explained.

"It's because they are speaking Quileute," said Taylor, still turned and watching the suspicious group.

"Aria doesn't know Quileute," I noted. She seemed to know what was going on, though. "And Deanna doesn't either?"

"They've been teaching Dee, since she's in the pack, and Aria's just playing along, it looks like. Maybe Embry's translating but I can't hear him saying anything right now."

Aria looked over her shoulder, as if she was checking to see if any one was paying attention to them, and Taylor and I quickly looked away.

"Suspicious, huh?" I pondered, "What do you think they are up to?"

Taylor looked back at them,

"Yeah, suspicious. The only thing I can hear them saying is stuff about-" Taylor broke off his sentence, stepping a few steps closer to the woods and closing his eyes, "Wait….oh, they are going to the Cullens."

"For what?"

Taylor opened his eyes and shook his head,

"I don't know, but they don't want anybody following them. It's some sort of, like, secret meeting for them."

I crossed my arms.

"Oh, of course Aria and Deanna know secrets that I don't. I bet Noelle's meeting them there too."

Taylor shrugged,

"Maybe but I don't think so. Noelle's out of the loop since she's not with one of us. You know, now that Josh and her aren't together. She's considered as important as any other normal person by the pack now. We feel no obligation to tell her anything about us. In fact, it's best if she just does her own thing for now on, you know, no more talking to the pack guys. Thing is, your dad always includes your mom and Noelle and your little sisters in the meetings he has so it's difficult to keep her in the dark about everything."

"Jake doesn't want us at the meetings?" I asked, "He told my dad that?"

"No, he hasn't said it yet. But he might if things get worse. It's ok if Aria is there since she's with Embry and he used to be imprinted on her. But your mom and Elise and Kathleen and Tasha really shouldn't be hearing all of the secrets."

"What about me?"

Taylor shifted his weight to one leg,

"I say it's ok if you're there. Um, you know, since you're part vampire."

"But Tasha was bit by Charles, so, shouldn't she be allowed to-"

"That's different," Taylor insisted, "Totally different."

"How?"

"Do you want to sneak to the Cullens and eavesdrop?" Taylor suggested, ignoring my questions.

"Um, I want you to answer me fir-"

"It just is, okay?"

"Okay…"

"Let's just go now, before they get too far ahead of us."

"Go where?" The new deep voice caught me off guard and Taylor and I turned around to see we were being joined by Josh and CJ. CJ spoke again, "Where?"

"None of your business," Taylor told them, "Ani and I are going on a walk by ourselves."

Josh rolled his eyes,

"Yeah, right. Tell us where."

"No."

"Yes," argued CJ.

"We'll find out eventually," remarked Josh.

"Not today though," Taylor smirked, "Bye." He waited for them to leave.

Josh narrowed his eyes,

"Fine," he looked at me, "Nice seeing you, Ani."

"Bye," I said quietly. CJ waved bye too as they walked in the same direction of where Deanna, Aria, Seth, Embry, Jake, and Nessie had left.

"That isn't the way to his house," Taylor told me. In fact, he lives _that_ way. He pointed in the exact opposite way.

"Are they invited to the secret meeting too?" I wondered.

Taylor shrugged,

"I have no idea. But, I mean, _your_ house is that way, too."

"Oh, you think he's going to go stalk Noelle?"

"Probably," Taylor laughed.

"I'm sure Noelle will enjoy that," I chuckled.

"Ready?" Taylor asked, gesturing in the direction of the woods.

"You first, I don't want to get lost."

"You managed to find the house just fine yesterday," Taylor reminded me.

"Yeah, but still, you never know with me."

Taylor smiled and stepped in front of me to lead me through the forest.

* * *

Taylor's POV

Ani caught my arm as I was about to step on a pile of twigs. I looked at her. Her sharp blue eyes stood out against her semi-pale skin and winter forest. She pressed a finger to her lips, her hand still on my arm. She pointed to a small fox a little to our right.

I leaned in close to her,

"Maybe this is like what happened yesterday?"

She nodded in agreement.

"Let's keep going before more show up," She decided, letting go of my arm. A felt my heart's beats slow down. I hadn't even realized it had been beating quickly.

We would have to talk to the Cullens as soon as possible.

* * *

Pretty Please Be Sure to Read this Author's Note:

**I do not get much feedback on this story, so reviewing each chapter would be very helpful! _Please review and THANK YOU_ to the people who have been reviewing! =) It means a lot to hear what readers think. **

**Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter…next chapter: _the secret meeting and more Tasha as well as more Noelle and Brandon. _**

**-_Ria M. Write. _**

_**P.S. In your review, be sure to mention which characters you'd like to hear more about! =D**_


	60. Poison Oak

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 60: "Poison Oak"

Aria's POV

The forest opened to Cullens' property and I snatched Embry's hand, nervously. He slowed his pace and looked back at me to smile, understandingly.

Jake said something in Quileute and Embry replied, his eyes not leaving mine.

There was something particularly creepy about the vampire house today. My skin crawled as Embry and I walked along with Seth, Deanna, Jake, and Nessie. I didn't care that this was Nessie's home; it felt like we were a bunch of trespassing teenagers. Like someone was watching us. I stared at the house with caution but didn't spot anyone in the windows. Still, I couldn't shake the eerie feeling.

Embry's hand was warm and comforting, so I focused on that as we moved up to the main entrance.

I wanted to talk to Embry alone before we started the meeting, but I knew that everyone was itching to get inside as soon as possible, before we ran out of time.

Nessie opened the door and we all shuffled in, walking close together. I made extra sure not to let go of Embry's hand, though.

We stood in a semi-circle around Dr. Cullen, Embry moved behind me and wrapped his warm arms so that his hands clasped together in front of me. It helped off-set the spine-chilling vibe of being surrounded by vampires.

I turned my head and stood on my tip-toes, trying to reach Embry's ear. He leaned down and I whispered,

"Who else is coming?"

Taylor's POV

"Would they be able to detect us when we get close to the house?" Ani asked me.

"Probably, if all of the Cullens are they I'm sure someone would smell us or hear us…and then Edward could hear our thoughts."

"What should we do, then? We don't want to get too close but we still want to be able to watch the house."

"Umm….geeze, it sure does it look like it's going to rain," I peered at the darkening clouds above us.

Ani looked up, then, too.

"…Hey….What if we climbed the trees?"

I looked over at the tall forest trees,

"What?"

"Yeah, would they smell us then? We'd be pretty far up but we could still watch the house and maybe hear a little of what they are saying."

"I guess it might work. I've never really tried climbing that high up these trees," I admitted.

"It's the only idea we have, so…" Ani shrugged and then walked over to closest tall tree. She grabbed at the sturdy bark with her hands and then got her feet on the trunk, too. I walked over to stand behind her incase she needed help.

"This isn't so bad," she said, seemingly to encourage herself. With a deep breath, she began to climb. She managed to reach a branch pretty quickly, and sat down on it.

"C'mon, Taylor! You're turn!"

I eyed the bark then started climbing. I moved faster than Ani had, but I was a lot clumsier and almost fell a few times.

I got the branch she was on and barely had a moment to breathe before she started to climb further up. I followed right after her this time.

Once we reached the top, Ani spoke,

"Now we just have to jump to the next tree."

I widened my eyes,

"You think you can do that?" I knew she was part vampire, but…

"Yeah," Ani examined the distance, "I think I can."

"Let me go first so I can catch you just incase," I insisted.

She agreed and I jumped, for a split second I was flying, but then I had to make sure I grabbed hold of the next tree's branch before I slammed into the trunk. I managed to do it and steadied myself so that I would be able to catch Ani. She jumped and spread her arms wide while she was in the air. I managed to catch her (even though it was unnecessary) and it looked like we were hugging.

She laughed,

"That was so cool!"

I looked to the next tree,

"Good, because we have some more to go."

We jumped from tree to tree until we approached the Cullens' house. We found a good branch to watch from and sat down next to one another. I was holding the trunk so I insisted she hold on to my hand so that she won't lose her balance.

We waited and tried to listen but the birds were chirping too loud and they were talking too quietly.

"Hey, what's my dad doing here?" Ani whispered to me, pointing down to where her dad was pulling up in his car. He got out and walked into the Cullen house.

"That's…odd. I guess he must have been invited too."

"This is strange."

"I know."

Aria's POV

"Dr. Quris…" Dr. Cullen appeared off-guard, "May we help you?"

"I came for the meeting."

Embry spoke up,

"I asked him to come because my question involves expertise on both vampires and werewolves."

"Ah, in that case, Dr. Quris, please take a seat," Dr. Cullen motioned to an open seat at the dining table we were all sitting around.

"We have not gotten to Embry's question yet, Dr. Quris, so please excuse us while we wrap up another subject matter first."

"Don't mind me," Dad smiled, sitting down. Dr. Cullen looked back to Jake and Nessie,

"So, the real concern is that he would be a dangerous part of the Volturi?"

"We don't know if they know about him yet, or if he is the type of person who would be likely to join, but the Volturi would want his gift for sure," Jake explained, "I have already spoken to one of mine, Seth, about visiting them," Jake nodded to Seth. I saw my sister's face drain of color, like she was suddenly terrified. I realized Deanna was not invited to go along with Seth.

"And maybe spying to see what they know."

"You want to send a shapeshifter spy right to the Volturi?" Dr. Cullen furrowed his eyebrows, looking worried, "Do you think that would really work, Jacob?"

"Well, we _need_ to know if Charles has any connections with them. If he does, we are all screwed-er, _threatened_. Charles wants us extinct. If he becomes part of the Volturi, I have a feeling we wouldn't be able to fend them off as easily as last time."

"You think Bella would not be able to provide protection?"

"I don't know, maybe. His gift is puzzling and inconsistent."

"He must not know he has it. Sounds like he cannot control it," Dr. Cullen remarked, "He probably has yet to encounter the Volturi, then."

"He's been around for ages," Dad interrupted, "I've been studying him for awhile."

"It is curious that he has yet to know his gift, in that case."

"He doesn't talk to other vampires. He keeps his distance," Dad told Dr. Cullen.

Dr. Cullen nodded and looked to Nessie,

"Thank you for letting me know. Now, what's that question?" He asked Embry.

Embry sat up straighter,

"We've been noticing some difference between us and the new werewolf, CJ. For one thing, he still isn't part of the pack when he phases into wolf form."

"Has the girl, Courtney, managed to join thoughts?" Dr. Cullen asked.

"Yes, just last night," Jake replied, "She missed our meeting this morning because of how late she stayed up talking to Leah."

"The other problem is, well, CJ's body temperature. It's cold normally. But then every once and awhile, it gets really hot, like warmer than us," said Embry.

"I see," Dr. Cullen nodded, "So you think this is related to vampires?"

"Only the Quileute's have the same shapeshifting ability your pack has," Dr. Quris told Embry, "Possibly he is another species all together?"

"I doubt it, Dr. Quris," Dr. Cullen argued, "Rather, I think Embry is on to something concerning it being vampire-related."

"Well, if he is the same species, then you believe he is from Quileute ancestry?" Dr. Quris asked, "Where is the proof of that?"

"A blood sample will help," Dr. Cullen told Jake, "Bring him here and I will run some tests."

"Don't tell him anything yet, though," Dr. Quris suggested, "It's best if we have some answers first."

Ani's POV

The next thing that happened was that Edward and Bella came out of the forest and walked towards the house.

I looked at Taylor,

"Do you think he'll notice us?"

Taylor looked just as worried. When we looked back down, we only saw Bella who was about to open the front door.

"Hello," came a voice behind us. I screamed. Edward was perched on the branch behind us. "What were you two doing up here?"

We didn't say anything, but Edward could read our thoughts anyway, "Spying?"

"We have a question for Carlisle but we were too scared to go inside while they are having a secret meeting," I told him.

Edward looked down at Bella, who was waiting in the doorway for him.

"Okay, Ani, get on my back."

"What?"

"It'll be quicker getting down if I just carry you."

"Um, ok." With Taylor's help I awkwardly got on to Edward's back. I closed my eyes as he leaped off of the tree. I couldn't help but scream again as we fell.

Taylor hurried down the tree after us and helped me off of Edward's back.

He held my hand and we followed Edward and Bella into the Cullen's dining room.

"We caught spies," Edward announced to everyone who was now staring at us.

"Oh, Ani! Nice to see you," Carlisle smiled.

"Nice to see you too," I said quietly.

"And Taylor, hello," Carlisle greeted Taylor. Taylor half-smiled.

"They have a question for you," Edward spoke for us.

"What is it?" Carlisle asked me.

"Um, well," It was awkward with everyone watching us.

"Maybe it would be best if you spoke with them in your office," said Edward, saving me from further embarrassment.

"Where were you too? I didn't hear you or smell you or anything," Deanna asked curiously.

"They were hiding in a tree," Bella told her.

"We climbed up one awhile away and jumped from tree to tree over here," Taylor explained.

"You two were sitting in a tree this whole time?" Seth asked. Then he smiled and giggled, "Wait. I just thought of something: Taylor and Ani sittin' in a tree J-U-M-P-I-N-G. First comes Maple, then comes Pine, then comes Oak with a Poison Ivy vine!"

Taylor rolled his eyes at Seth's singing. Nessie, Aria, Embry, and Deanna all laughed. Seth looked at Deanna,

"Get it? Cuz they must have been just _itching_ to hear what we were saying! Because, it was a secret meeting and Posion Ivy gets all itchy!"

Deanna giggled,

"Thanks, Seth, I understand."

"Are you sure? Because I can totally sing it again-"

"Ani, Taylor, please, we will go to my office now," Carlisle stood up from the table and Taylor and I followed him upstairs. As we walked, I could hear Embry say,

"But it's an Oak tree, so wouldn't they get Poison _Oak_?"

**This chapter turned out longer than I expected so I pushed back my planned bits about Brandon and Noelle/Tasha to next chapter! Thanks for reading and be sure to leave a review for this chapter! Thanks, **

_Ria M. Write._


	61. Princess

Author's Note: Thanks for awesome reviews! =) It means a lot to know what readers are thinking.

_7-Eleven _

Chapter 61: "Princess"

Noelle's Point of View

I crossed my arms, trying to keep myself warm despite the chilly breeze rushing past me. Above me, you couldn't see an inch of blue, just an endless white of cloud cover.

"Want help?" I asked Kathleen as she tried to climb a tree. She shook her head,

"I can do it myself."

"Okay." I turned my head to see what Tasha and Elise were doing. They were drinking tea on the back porch.

"Ahh!" Kathleen's scream made my head whip back towards her- she had slipped on the damp branches and was hanging by her hands, too far up for me to reach.

"Kathleen! Hold on!" I called to her, trying to position myself underneath so I could catch her.

"I got her," CJ stepped in front of me, having come from the woods, and grabbed Kathleen, "Let go," he encouraged her.

"No!"

"I have you! C'mon!"

"Kathleen," Josh was next to me now too, "Let go!"

"I want to climb the tree!" Kathleen insisted.

CJ let go of her and put his hands under her feet, pushing her up so that she would climb back on to the branch.

"You better stand here and watch her, then, since you're the one who's letting her go up that high," I told him. He shrugged, keeping his eyes cautiously on Kathleen,

"Ok."

"What are you doing here?" I demanded Josh, not making eye contact.

"…It's a long story. You see-"

"Oh, a long story? Nevermind. I don't care that much."

CJ chuckled at us as Josh narrowed his eyes.  
"AHEM. You see, CJ and I are actually superheroes now. Yeeah, we save cats from trees, princesses from towers, beautiful woman from villains- the whole nine yards. It's quite the commitment."

"So what are you doing here?"

"Didn't you hear me? _CJ and I are super heroes now. We save cats from trees_. You probably didn't recognize us because we don't have our superheroes costumes yet."

Josh was trying to make a joke regarding Kathleen's nickname, 'Kitty.' That's what he meant by 'saving cats from trees.'

"If you two are superheroes, what are your super powers?"

Josh looked confused for a moment then feigned realization,

"Oh! You mean _besides_ our incredibly good looks? Well, Ma'am, it just so happens that I can turn into a wolf."

"Sounds pretty typical to me. I know a lot of guys that can turn into wolves."

"Even Brandon?"

And that's when things got awkward.

Especially because that's also when my phone started ringing…with a call from Brandon.

"One second," I told the boys as I answered the cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Noelle? It's Brandon." I saw CJ and Josh exchange looks.

"Um, Hey…"

"Look, we need to talk. I mean, I like you a lot…But…"

Josh rolled his eyes. I felt my heart skip a few beats, Brandon didn't sound like he was going to say anything good.

"Yeah?"

"'Yeah?' Aren't you going to say that you like me a lot too? " Brandon asked.

"Um, I like you a lot Brandon," I mumbled.

Josh looked like he was about to throw up.

"…It's just that you are actually a little weird. I mean, I thought you'd be cooler."

_What? I am cool! Aren't I…?_

"I mean, you were kinda embarrassing in front of my friends. You know, at the party. It was really lame that you wouldn't drink. What are you scared of? A few more drinks wouldn't have killed you. And it's really stupid that your still friends with that survey guy, Josh, you really shouldn't have let him take you from me at the party. I mean, you were my date. You're really a dork for doing all of that. You won't get anywhere in life being a prude and having some stupid bodyguard beat up your boyfriends all the time."

I felt the phone leave my hand and widened my eyes as Josh pressed it against his ear,

"Excuse me, sir, I'm conducting a survey on how much of an asshole a guy can be."

From the corner of my eye, I saw CJ look up at Kathleen, probably hoping she hadn't heard Josh's bad language. But I didn't care. "Do you intend on ending things between yourself and Miss Noelle?"

I couldn't hear what Brandon was saying, and I shut my eyes in anticipation of something bad.

"You are a jerk for doing it this way. Goodbye." Josh hung up the phone.

I felt tears build up in my eyes.

"Noelle, he…" Josh's voice was soft again, quiet, "You don't have to worry about ever talking to him again. I'm sorry."

"Isn't that what you want!" I opened my eyes, ignoring the fact that I had just let all my tears run freely down my face. "Don't you want me to never see him again!"

"No…Noelle, I-"

I shut my eyes again and covered my face, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Noelle! I didn't want him to break your heart!"

"Oh no, of course not! That's _your_ job!"

I hadn't meant to say it. I didn't even realize what I had said until it was already out.

"…No…Elle?"

I turned and ran towards my house, cheeks burning red and screaming at myself in my mind. I don't know why I said it; I didn't care about Josh breaking up with me. I had moved on. I just…said it. By mistake.

Analiese's POV

Carlisle's office was an interesting place. You could almost feel the seriousness of past conversations that had taken place here. Taylor and I stood in front of him. I felt like we were in a court room for a moment until Carlisle began speaking in his compassionate voice,  
"What is it you wanted to ask about?"

"Something that happened to us yesterday."

Carlisle looked curious,

"Was it vampire-related?"

"Well, maybe…that's what we came to find out."

"We were walking in the woods and, well..."

_I finished the "I'm a Little Tea Pot" song and Taylor and I both started laughing. We stopped to catch our breath and I looked up in the trees, almost all of the branches had birds on them,_

"_Hey, is there always this many birds in the forest?"_

_Taylor yelped next to me and I looked down so see a small chipmunk right next to his foot. _

"_What are all these rodents doing here?" He exclaimed. Sure enough, we were surrounded by fuzzy critters. Bunnies, chipmunks, squirrels, you name it. _

"_Where did these come from? Do you usually attract critters? Maybe they are looking for your help since you're a tribe protector," I suggested to Taylor. He shook his head,  
"ME? This can't be my fault. It must be yours."_

"_What? How? I'm part vampire! They should be SCARED of me!" _

_The chipmunk moved closer to me. _

"_Awww! You're soooo cuteee!" I cooed to the fuzzy thing. Slowly, the animals started departing. _

"…We were surrounded by animals."

"Animals?"

"Yes. Critters and birds and even a few foxes."

"I think I saw a bear too," Taylor added, "Although it wasn't nearly as frightening as the chipmunk." I giggled,

"I can't believe you were scared of the chipmunk. It was adorable."

"It was gross."

"Interesting…" Carlisle broke in, "You were just standing in the woods when this happened?"

"Yup," I answered.

"Well, there was one more thing," Taylor corrected me, "Ani had been singing a few moments before that."

Carlisle seemed to think for a second, and then smiled as if something were amusing.

"It seems as though you have a special gift, Ani."

"What?"

"Yes."

"I have a vampire power?"

"It seems as if, when you sing, you attract animals." I blinked,

"…Oh, great. So I'm like every Disney princess, ever. Awesome."

Taylor chuckled,

"That's so true!"

Carlisle even laughed, too.

Deanna's POV

I wrapped my hands around Seth's neck so that he would keep his face close to mine.

"Do you think you could talk to Jacob?" I whispered to him. Seth looked sad,

"I have tried three times already, he won't budge on it. He thinks it's too dangerous for you, and-"

I hugged Seth, he didn't have to finish. I knew he wouldn't want to put me in danger, as much as I wanted to go with him to Italy.

"Does it have to be you? What about anyone else?" I asked, "You're the one who's imprinted to someone in the pack! There are so many other options…"

"That's why he wants me. Deanna, he knows the mission is risky but we have to make sure Charles doesn't join the Volturi. At the same time, we have to keep things guarded here. With news that the unimprinting stuff might wear off, he doesn't dare send Embry. Quil won't leave because of Claire, Sam won't leave because of Emily, Jared won't leave because of Kim, and everyone else he thinks is too inexperienced and he needs here. Plus, he knows that because I have you, I have a reason to come back alive. I'll fight harder. And he wants updates everyday."

"Updates everyday?"

Seth nodded and kissed me before continuing,

"He wants me to phase at least once a day to keep the pack updated on everything I'm doing. Because of you, I _have_ to do it."

"You think it'll be enough for us to just read each others thoughts once a day?"

"It'll be like visiting each other, I promise."

"What about Leah?" I suggested, desperately, "Why can't she go?"

"Jake's considering it, I suggested her, too."

"Seth! Are you going to take a shower or what?" Mrs. Clearwater called from the hallway. We were in Seth's room which was currently filled with Courtney and Jack's things.

"One second Mom!"

Seth kissed my forehead,

"Wanna come in with me?"

**Thanks for reading and please review! **–Ria M. Write.

Predictions? Questions?

What do you think will be the results of CJ's blood test?

=)


	62. The Full Moon

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 62: "The Full Moon"

Tasha's POV

My sisters and I were standing in a circle, shoulders touching to spread body heat. The chilly full moon night made the dark woods all around us strange, as if we were deep in a far away forest, not just thirty feet into our backyard woods.

"Aria, it's dark. Why are we in the dark!"

"Noelle, it's eleven at night."

"Why couldn't we have come outside earlier, Ani?"

"Deanna took a long shower."

"Sorry, I had a lot on my mind."

"Can we hurry up? I'm cold!" Elise interjected, ending our older sisters' chatting.

"Me too! Let's go inside now!" Kathleen agreed.

I crossed my arms,

"Guys, hurry up!"

"Okay, well, what should I sing?"

Ani's question was met with impatient moans, aside from Elise's suggestion of 'Fur Elise.'

"I don't even think there are lyrics for that song," Ani replied.

"There's not," Aria and Noelle nodded.

"No, but guys, she can still sing it," I insisted.

"Yeah, just sing the notes," Deanna told Ani.

"Ok, um…"

"Come onnnn!" Kathleen encouraged.

Ani began singing.

My sisters and I looked around us curiously; waiting for the little animals Ani promised would show up.

"I don't see anything," Noelle was the first to speak.

Ani kept singing.

"Noelle, turn your flashlight off, I bet it's scaring them away," Aria told my fourth-oldest sister.

Noelle clicked off her flashlight and moved closer to Aria.

"Noelle, what are you doing?"

"It's dark…" Noelle whispered shamefully. We all did the same, huddling together in anticipation and partial fear of the pitch darkness.

"Hey, did you know that in the dark you only see in black and white?"

"Shh!" Our eldest sister was silenced as we saw the first critter approaching us.

"It's a deer!" Kathleen announced, in a whisper.

"Woah, this is so cool!" Noelle explained, also whispering.

Three possums, five raccoons, and a skunk later, we knew it was time to go back inside.

"If we move _really_ slowly, maybe it won't spray us," Aria told us all.

"SPRAY us?" Elise exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Elise, that's a skunk," I told her.

"AHHH!" Kathleen screamed and took off towards the house, Elise right behind her.

"No, WAIT!" Aria called after them. We all started running too, then. And screaming.

"Woah, what's going on with you girls? You're screaming like there's a zombie apocalypse outside…" A guy from the pack was in our kitchen for some reason. I didn't remember his name.

"Embry?" Aria was looking in the living room, where her boyfriend apparently was.

I heard Embry,

"Come here with Ani and Deanna. Oh, and Noelle."

My little sisters and I attempted to catch our breath as Aria, Deanna, Ani, and Noelle all moved to the living room.

"A skunk," Elise explained in between breaths, "It scared us."

The guy nodded,

"Kim and I almost got sprayed once. Wouldn't want us to have to take a tomato bath…" Then his expression changed and he chuckled to himself, as if he maybe he _would of_ like to taken a bath.

"Who's Kim?" Kathleen asked.

He smiled and looked up at the microwave clock,

"My fiancé. I have to go, nice seeing you all."

Analiese's POV

"Embry, I'm out."

"You're leaving already?"

"Yeah, Kim…" But Jared apparently had no further details to his excuse and just left without further ado.

"Jared and you are the only ones not there?" Aria asked Embry.

"Um, yeah. And whoever is on patrol duty."

"Why didn't you go?"

"I figured it would be lame and crowded. Being huddled in a deep basement, watching some Spanish kid get poked with a needle…I mean, why do I need to be there? Jacob's making it a big thing."

"Don't call him 'some Spanish kid!' His name is CJ!"

Embry shrugged,

"The only reason anyone else is there is because they want to say goodbye to Seth. He's leaving tomorrow and we all know he'll only want to spend his last few hours with Dee."

I looked over at Deanna, who was curled up on the couch, looking out the window. She looked tired and it was clear she wasn't listening to Embry.

"So why was Jared here?" I asked.

"Oh he was hungry so I told him he could eat some food here."

"Hey- Where did all of our food go?" Mom called from the kitchen. I laughed and Aria just rolled her eyes at Embry.

"It wasn't your place to offer our food," She whispered to him.

Josh's POV

Not everything that destiny throws at you is fun.

"Dad's gone."

Kelsey waking me up at 4 in the morning to tell me our family is one person smaller…yeah, it's one of those things.

"Goodmorning Joshua," I heard my mom next. She was in my room too. I kept my face in my pillow as she put her hand on my shoulder,

"I made you breakfast." Her voice was shaky.

It was dark outside, the clouds thick and wide over the trees. I stepped outside, and it started raining- _pouring _as if someone up in the sky was giving me a message. I didn't think much of it, though. I let it rain as I walked, completely human, to Taylor's house.

"Oh, Josh…Haven't seen you in awhile." Taylor's mother was in her pajamas, I had clearly woken her from her sleep. Her big, round belly caught me off guard; I hadn't seen her in several months and she was clearly rather close to the end of her pregnancy.

"Hello, Mrs. Strong." My voice portrayed my indifference, "Is Taylor here?"

"No, haven't you heard?"

I furrowed my eyebrows,

"Heard what?" But Mr. Strong had come to the door, too, now.

"Josh! Long time no see, buddy."

Taylor's dad wrapped his arms around Mrs. Strong,

"You should go back to bed, Christine."

"No, John, he hasn't heard about the missing girl."

"Who?" I asked.

"Caroline, I think," Mr. Strong said, "the new girl in your pack."

I blinked,

"Courtney?"

"Yes, that was the name," Mrs. Strong nodded, "Courtney went missing a few hours ago. Mr. Call and Miss Brentwood practically woke the whole tribe gathering the Protectors together."

"I didn't hear them," I felt my panic now, "I should find out where they all are so I can help." Another thought crossed my mind, "What about Jack?"

"Jack?"

"Jack Casey, did he come waking up people, too? He's Courtney's imprint."

"There was a redhead boy, if that's who you mean," Mr. Strong recalled, "He didn't go up to houses, but he was following Dee Brentwood and Embry Call around, in tears."

"That's him. I hope he's alright. Thanks, I'll see you around," I turned, deciding to go to Sam's house and see if anyone was there.

"Hey, Josh. Tell Dan I say hello, he and I should watch a game sometime. I got a new televi-"

I interrupted Mr. Strong,

"I can't. I don't know where he is. He left."

I didn't feel like talking any longer. I ran down the street, towards Sam's house.

I was scared about Courtney. The thing is, I know she must be in grave circumstances if she's missing because of the fact that she's imprinted. Why else would she be missing from Jack?

When I got to Sam's house the atmosphere was heavy. In the living room I found Dee curled up in the corner. She was alone. I stepped over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder,

"You okay?"

Her face was puffy when she looked at me,

"No," she admitted, crying and hugging me.

I couldn't tell what was wrong, but I hoped it wasn't bad news about Courtney. I hugged Dee back, wondering where Seth was.

"What happened?" I asked, "No one woke me up."

"Sorry, we must have missed your house in the panic," she explained, pulling away from me and leaning back against the wall. "I forgot about my shift," she explained, "And no one realized that Courtney had been alone until Embry phased for his turn at 1. No one was in wolf form so he realized what had happened, that CJ who usually is on shift with me and Courtney at 11, was being tested at Dad's lab… and…"

"And so you weren't there either and Courtney was by herself until one."

Dee nodded,

"But we don't know what happened to her, Embry knew immediately that she wasn't in wolf form since he couldn't hear her thoughts…and then we all just hoped that maybe she had somehow lost the telepathic connection again. Embry kept barking outside my house until I realized I was missing my shift and I phased then. But...Jack went to your house and told Theresa that he was worried because Courtney wasn't home yet, at 1:30, and he was hoping she was with CJ there. So Theresa and CJ went to Jacob and yeah….We've been searching everywhere for her."

"We'll find her," I promised her, "Where is everyone else? I want to help." _How is it that Theresa and CJ knew and didn't tell me?_ I remembered not seeing them when I left home, but I assumed they were just still asleep.

Dee shrugged,

"Everyone's in their wolf form, running around through the woods, looking. I-I couldn't keep hearing their thoughts, I felt so guilty. I just had so much on my mind with Seth leaving, I couldn't focus and I forgot!" Dee started tearing up again and I patter her back,

"Don't worry, Dee. No one's going to blame you."

"…Jared was the last person to see her. Alan left at 10 when I was supposed to start and then Jared left at 11 because he wanted to see Kim and he told Courtney he'd find me and remind me of my shift. Then he forgot too and…"

"Dee, seriously, don't worry about it. We'll find Courtney. I'm sure everything will be okay."

The door opened and Seth entered the living room, carrying a grocery bag. When he saw me, he half-smiled and sat down on the other side of Dee.

I wanted to know what was in the bag, but I realized I was officially a third wheel and it was time to go join the others.

When I phased in the woods outside, I saw that Dee and Seth really were the only ones not in their wolf form.

Deanna's POV

Seth was leaving today. Seth was leaving today. Seth was leaving today. Seth was leaving today. Seth was leaving today.

_Seth is leaving today._

"I can't eat, I can't even think! Seth, you can't go, really. Not without me, take me with you!" I folded in half, my head touching Seth's lap.

"Deanna, I'll be okay, I promise."

But he hugged me so tightly I almost had to tell him to loose up so I could breathe.

I waited until my nausea passed and lifted my head to face Seth.

"You have to go now?" My voice feigned calmness.

Seth nodded,

"Leah…"

I blinked,

"Leah?"  
"She, she _ordered _me."

There was no changing of mind for Seth, he _had_ to go through with his assigned mission.

"And I spoke with the Cullens, the Volturi are…I could never bare for you to be near them, Deanna."

At his words, I felt protectiveness over Seth. If these people were too dangerous for me to be near, then they must be too dangerous for me to want Seth around.

"Seth, please, just let me follow you! I'll keep my distance when you get too close to them!" But as soon as I said it, I knew that wasn't true. I would fight with Seth if it came to it.

Seth shook his head,

"I can't." He rested his head on my forehead and I knew there was no way I could put him through the pain of worrying about me. I would not follow him.

"Every day," I started, "Every single day, at what time?"

"I'll call," Seth promised, "I don't know what time yet, but I'll call and then we can both be in our wolf forms at the same time."

I kissed Seth then, without caring who was opening the front door. I kissed him and he kept kissing me back.

We continued, until it felt like we would never have to stop, but an alarm went off from Seth's pocket. He sighed, running a hand through my hair and pulling out a watch from his pocket.

"I have to catch my flight."

"Can I come with you to the airport?"

Seth kissed my forehead,

"Of course. Bella is driving me. The Cullens' bought the tickets and Leah's coming to the airport too. I just have to say goodbye to Mom."

We heard Emily humming in the kitchen. She must have been the one who walked in earlier.

Analiese's POV

I finished brushing my hair and wondered if I should bother straightening it today. It's always so rainy outside, so usually it's not worth the trouble.

The doorbell rang.

I didn't hear anyone go to answer it.

It was still early, like 6:27, so I assumed it must be either Embry or Seth dying to see their girlfriends.

However, when I answered the door, a new guy I had never seen before stood before me. His hair short and night-black, his eyes a yellow-green, long black jeans and a light blue T-shirt…maybe he had the wrong house?

"Hello," he began, his eyes slowly moving along my face. He uncrossed his arms, "Does anyone by the name of _Jack_ live here?"

I blinked and shook my head,

"No. Wrong house, must be."

He leaned in towards me as if he was having trouble hearing me. I had gotten so used to the pack's super-hearing, I had forgotten to not mumble.

"No one named Jack here, not at all?" He asked again.

"No one. You must have the wrong house."

"Oh…" he turned like he was going to leave and I prepared to shut the door. He turned back towards me, "What's your name?"

"Um," I didn't have enough time to think about whether or not it was safe to give my name to this stranger, "Ani."

"Ani? Nice to meet you, I'm Erik," he held out his hand to shake. I reached out and shook hands,

"Nice to meet you too."

"I just moved in nearby."

"Cool."

"Yeah. Hey, um, I haven't been to the movies around here yet, would you like to go with me? I know we just met and everything, but…to be honest," he bowed his head and looked up at me through his lashes, "You're really pretty." He almost whispered it.

I blushed and looked at my feet,

"Oh, no thank you …" I told Erik. He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged,

"Okay."

Then a thought came to my mind, "But I do have a sister that would probably be interested…." I added.

He looked disappointed but curious,

"Really? Does she look like you? A twin, possibly?" He chuckled lightheartedly.

"No, not a twin. I mean, I _do_ have a twin but she's definitely not going to be interested. She has a boyfriend. But my little sister's been looking for a guy to date. She's blonde too."

"Blue eyes like yours?" He inquired, blinking a few times flirtatiously.

"No, my only other sister with blue eyes has darker hair. Noelle has brown eyes."

"Brown's good too."

"Yeah…I mean like….you're totally creepy and I'm a little disturbed by you right now, but Noelle probably won't care since…well,…she's just like that."

Erik looked down at himself,

"What's creepy?"

"You're really forward."

"Only because you struck my heart so strongly," he smirked, an adorable smile on his face. Just picture what your dream guy would look like, whoever it is that does it for you, and that's Erik.

"Yeah…like that. Stop."

"Where is this 'Noelle?'"

"Follow me."

He stepped inside our house and I closed the door behind me. I wasn't sure how old he was, but he looked 15. Far too old for Noelle technically, but, hey, since when do we follow rules?

I led Erik into the dining room where Aria was sitting having a pre-breakfast snack.

"You opened it upside down," I told my sleepy-looking sister. She looked down at her Goldfish cracker bag and saw that she, indeed, had opened it from the bottom. She sighed at herself.

I patted her head,

"You'll get it right someday, Aria."

Aria ignored Erik when he sat down next to her. I told him to wait and I went downstairs to get Noelle.

"Noellleeeee," I sang, entering the basement, aka her and Aria's room.

"What?" Noelle was listening to music.

"I found you a new boy."

"You _what_?"

"I found you a boyfriend."

"Ummm…"

"You're welcome. He's upstairs."

"I'm still in my pajamas!"

"Just go say 'hi' to him!"

Noelle, deciding that her pajamas were stylish enough to be seen in, walked upstairs to meet the Erik boy.

Erik stood when Noelle approached the dining room.

"Hi, I'm, um, Noelle."

"Erik," the guy nodded.

"He just moved in nearby," I told my little sister.

"Cool."

For a moment the only sound was Aria chewing her Goldfish.

Then Erik walked towards our front door,

"Well, nice meeting you, see you around, surely." He winked at us and left.

"Cutie," Aria commented, "Like, seriously. Did you see his hair?"

"Did you see his _smile_?"

"Did you see his _eyyyessss_?" Noelle looked as if she were melting.

"His smile was better," I insisted.

"If you date him, I'm _all over_ doubling dating with you two. Even though you're like little kids." Aria told Noelle.

"I am not a little kid!"

Josh's POV

We ended up creating our own search parties. I ran with Alan and Taylor.

"_There's something wrong. We should have found her by now,"_ Alan sighed, worried. We were trying to ignore everyone else's thoughts.

"_I think this is a good thing. If she were dead, we would have found a body. No corpse means she's okay." _

"'_Okay' being a vague word. How could she be okay if whatever happened to her is even keeping her away from Jack? The guy's practically dying." _

We all switched our focus to Leah's view. She was walking with Jack through the woods, so he would feel like he was helping. The redheaded teen's face was flooded with tears, and from his mouth came shouts for Courtney. _Wow, he's really_ _worried sick._

We slowed ourselves as we came across a new smell. A new person we didn't recognize.

"_It's probably better if they don't see us,"_ Alan reminded Taylor and I, _"We don't need anymore reports of giant wolves in the woods."_

Moving our paws as lightly as we could, we attempted to avoid the person by walking around them. They changed their walking direction and started moving towards us, however, and we stopped. Soon we could see her through the trees.

"_Hey, who is that?"_ Jake asked, his attention catching on our thoughts.

"_Good question," _Taylor replied.

"_She looks suspicious. Go confront her." _Jake ordered.

Alan, Taylor, and I exchanged looks. The girl had long, black, curly hair and was wearing a long deep-purple dress… and well, the way she walked through the woods made her seem kinda spooky. Like a ghost.

"_Go ahead, Alan." _Taylor said.

"_I think this one's for Heartbreaker,"_ Alan suggested.

"_I vote Muscles takes this one_," I insisted.

"_No thanks, Joshy,"_ Taylor declined, _"This one's allll yours."_

I took a deep breath and phased behind a large trees. Once I got my pants successfully on, I headed over to the girl. She was looking around as if she were lost. I tapped her shoulder.

"Ahem, erm, what is your business here?"

She turned to me, her wide green eyes examining my face,

"I'm looking for someone."

"And who is this 'someone' you are looking for?"

"What's your name?"

"Er, Josh."

"Josh," she said it with a shrug.

"What?" I furrowed my eyebrows, confused at this girl's nonsense.

"I was looking for you."

"Me? Why me?"

She giggled and rolled her eyes,

"You are a funny fellow."

"Um…"

She took my hand while directly looking into my eyes,

"Come with me on a walk for a moment, will you?"

"Um, no-"

"My name's Flower."

" No thanks, I _really_ should be going now, Flower."

"I like how you say my name," Flower told me, sincerely smiling. Her smile seemed to hang bright lights all along the treetops, illuminating the early morning forest like a sun.

I felt dazed,

"I… like how you smile." What? It just came out, okay? She beamed,

"Why, good!"

"Yeah…good."

Can you say '_swept away_?' This girl was so…magical.

"I'm thirteen," she told me, "So I think we are the same age."

"Sure." I would agree with whatever she wanted to believe. _The sky is yellow you say, Flower? Why, of course! It is!_

I could hear Taylor and Alan following us from a distance as Flower and I explored the forest. It didn't matter how many times I'd been in here before, it all looked new to me now.

"I like this tree," Flower told me, "It speaks to me."

"What is it saying?" I asked her, spellbound. I noted that she was still holding my hand and I hoped mine wasn't getting too sweaty.

"It's saying 'Welcome, Flower! I love you!'"

Part of me knew she was only just pretending to be the tree, but I felt my heart clench as she spoke 'I love you.'

"Where did you come from?" I asked her, "You live in Forks?"

She looked confused,

"It's been years since I last lived in any silverware. And that was truly _ages_ ago, but not around here, it was in a manor."

"So you're new to this area? Where do you live?"

"I am visiting. I have been hoping I'll meet paths with a prince of some sort, or maybe a knight. Someone magical. I have been trying to complete my story book life."

I felt my heart beat faster in excitement,

_I'm a Protector! I can change into a wolf! I'm magical! Want a story book life? Call me The Final Chapter. _

Suddenly, I could see our wedding. Imagine white tents, the bright sun, and birds chirping in the back ground. _Josh and Flower BlackHawk. Flower BlackHawk. Mr and Mrs Josh and Flower BlackHawk. Jlower. Fosh. _

My heart was just a puddle of soup by the time I snapped out of my daydreaming and remembered I was supposed to be looking for Courtney.

"Flower," I almost started giggling I was so happy with saying her name, "I have so go complete my…mission- no, _quest_. I'm sorry to leave so suddenly, but our time together has been, er, _magical_. Truly. Want to hang out again some time?"

"Oh, a quest? May I help?"

"No, um, I mean, it's highly dangerous and I wouldn't want to burden you, Flower. It requires a brave man, a _knightly _man to do the job. …So, I'll see you around?"

Flower nodded,

"Yes, Josh, I will see you again, surely."

I smiled widely,

"Yes, right. I'll tell you all about my quest then. You'll get the full story."

She waved as I began to walk backwards towards Alan and Taylor. Her eyes didn't leave mine. I stopped and took a few step back forward to her,

"…Maybe it would be easier to tell you about my quest if I had your phone number?"

Flower shook her head,

"I don't have any phone, sorry. How about we arrange a time to meet again, then?"

"Yes, yes. That sounds, um, reasonable." _And by reasonable I mean . _

"You can come over to dinner tonight, at my house. It's near this place, in the woods. I'll leave a trail of blue ribbons tied to the trees starting here. They will lead to my house."

"Sounds good to me."

Flower smiled, bashfully and then stepped close to me. She kissed me on my cheek and then stepped back again.

I turned around and then broke out into a smile. My body was trembling I was so gleeful. I ran back to Alan and Taylor and took about four minutes to calm down enough to phase.

"_That's it. You're new official nickname is 'MushyHeart BlackHawk.'_" Taylor smirked.


	63. The Caterwaul

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 63: "The Caterwaul"

Josh's POV

"Did you see the full moon last night?" CJ and I were walking along the beach. I had run into him a couple hours after meeting Flower, and we phased into our human forms so we could talk.

"Barely, on the way home from the lab."

"How long do you think it will take them to get the results?" CJ sounded anxious.

"CJ, do I look like a scientist?"

CJ shook his head,

"Just a very confusing guy. Why are you smiling so big? Did Noelle kiss you?"

I nodded, as if I had heard him say 'Flower' instead of Noelle.

"Flower invited me to dinner tonight."

"Flower?"

"My girlfriend."

"Since when?"

"Since this morning."

"Nice."

"You have no idea. She kissed me and everything."

"What time is the dinner?"

I stopped walking and thought.

"Oh. I don't know. What time is considered dinner time?"

"Ten o'clock."

CJ seemed serious in his answer.

"I was thinking more five-ish…" I told him, "Don't you think ten's a little late?"

"For a small meal? No."

"No, for dinner. You know, a _big_ meal…"

"Oh, then at two."

"…That's a little early…"

CJ shook his head,

"How so?"

"…Maybe I should ask someone who hasn't been living in Spain for most of their life."

"Si."

CJ looked off at the ocean, then back at me,

"Courtney is probably okay, right?" His voice portrayed his worry.

"Yeah. I mean, she's strong and fast…she can fend for herself."

CJ nodded,

"Yeah."

Analiese's POV

I picked up a pencil from the floor and handed it back to Kathleen,

"Now write the word again in a sentence."

The little twins started writing their sentences. I was helping them with their Spelling school work.

I was also babysitting Alexander, Jacks' little brother. Mrs. Clearwater dropped him off here earlier. It was now 4:30.

"Ani, I'm going outside to walk the dog," Noelle told me, Stacy on a leash beside her. I was glad someone besides Mom and I were paying attention to Stacy.

Noelle went out the back door.

"That's spelled with a 'Y' not an 'I,'" I corrected Elise.

The back door opened again.

"Ani, I need to find something to wear!"

"For what?"

Noelle was back inside with Stacy already. She waved around a piece of paper in her hand,

"Erik invited me to dinner at his house! Look outside; he left a trail of purple ribbons tied around the trees leading to his house, so I can find it easily! How cute is that?"

Josh's POV

I avoided going back to my house to clean up before Flower's dinner, so I just splashed some water on my face and borrowed a shirt at Alan's house. Alan's five year-old little brother kept trying to play hide-and-seek with me but I was too anxious.

"Good thing you didn't decide to go to Taylor's house…his shirts would be too big for you." Alan teasingly felt my arm muscles, pointing out how much more muscular Taylor is.

"Do you think I look good?"

Alan raised his eyebrows, unsure how to handle my serious question.

"Come on, honestly?" I begged.

"You…look…fine, I guess." Alan awkwardly answered, scratching the back of his neck, "But I'm no appearance judge."

"Let's go ask your mom," I suggested, about to leave Alan's room.

"Let's not," Alan argued, "She'll tell your mom about your date."

I looked in a mirror and fixed my hair,

"I guess you're right. Well, I better get going."

"Bye, MushyHeart BlackHawk."

I walked to the spot where I had met Flower, and found the trails of ribbons easily. My heart beat faster every time I spotted the blue against the brown wood of the forest trees. At one point, my tree with blue ribbon was next to a tree with purple ribbon. I looked around but no one else was nearby.

I continued walking, every once and awhile spotting a purple ribbon a few yards away.

I knew I had made it when I spotted an oversized, old fashion covered wagon. It was painted blue was a purple roof. The clearing it was parked in was small. Four horses were tied to trees close by. I took a deep breath, and walked up to the wagon. As I got closer, it seemed to get bigger. In fact, it looked big enough to be a small cabin by the time I was knocking on its door.

A boy answered. My heart dropped.

_Who is this?_ I could smell something good cooking over the fire next to the wagon. I hadn't noticed the fire before.

Then Flower walked up behind the boy and I realized from the resemblance that he must be her brother.

"Josh! I knew you would get here first. Say 'Nice to meet you' to Frederick and come sit down at the table, I'll go check on the stew." Flower stepped past both me and her brother, lifting the skirt of her dress so she wouldn't trip, and walking over to the pot hanging over the burning embers.

Her brother moved out of the doorway so I could step inside,

"Call me Erik," he introduced.

"I'm Josh," I told him, a little upset that I hadn't gotten a greeting hug from Flower. _I should have just given her one when she walked by…_

I sat down at the small, wooden, circular table. My chair was a little too small for me and I was afraid I'd break it.

Erik walked over to a tiny cupboard and pulled out four plates,

"I hope you don't mind, we invited more company."

"No problem," I lied. _That must be who the purple ribbons are for._ "Are your parents here?"

Erik set the plates on the table and took out some silverware. After a minute I realized he wasn't going to answer my question.

I stared at the door at the other side of the room, and I assumed it must be a bedroom.

Then I looked out the small window into the forest and found I had a clear view of the trail of purple ribbons.

The front door opened again, and Flower sat down in a chair close to mine,

"I am so glad you could come," Flower told me. I smiled at her,

"So am I. It's nice to see you again."

Flower took my hand under the table and leaned over, kissing my cheek. Erik made no acknowledgment if he was watching.

I felt a warm feeling in my stomach, like nothing could go bad ever.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about a certain subject," Flower admitted, still holding my hand.

"What?" From the corner of my eye, I saw someone in a dress approaching the wagon in the window. But I didn't want to look away from Flower just yet.

"Well, Erik and I have found ourselves in a predicament and I was thinking you must be able to help. But let us wait until after dinner to converse, so we do not spoil our eating."

Unable to find an excuse to wait any longer, I looked out the window directly. A deep feeling of sadness formed inside me. Following the purple ribbon trail was none other than Noelle.

She looked as if she badly needed a jacket and I almost wanted to offer one her. Not that I had one or that I actually would if I did.

Erik followed my eyes and looked happy as he opened the door. Noelle walked inside a moment later,

"Welcome," Erik said to her, smiling and pulling out a chair for her. She avoided eye contact with me as she sat down. I just stared, completely in disbelief that my life could be filled with _this many_ coincidences. Here I was, completely and truly in love with Flower, and Noelle is dating her brother?

Erik sat down at the table. I was between Erik and Flower, and Noelle and I were across from each other. _It's going to take effort to avoid eye contact._

"Meet my little sister," Erik told Noelle as Flower smiled,

"You may call me Flower. And this is Josh, our other company." Noelle smiled at Flower and then politely looked at me.

"This is Noelle," Erik introduced for me.

The Brentwood girl and I looked at each other with blank expressions.

"Flora, what are you making for dinner again?" Erik asked, looking at Flower. Flower blushed,

"Stew," she told Erik with a slight hiss to her voice, "Remember? Beef stew."

Erik looked down at his plate and chuckled,

"I should have gotten bowls," he told Noelle.

I looked down at my plate and for a second I saw a bowl…My vision blurred and I blinked, looking down once again at a bowl. Erik stood and fixed his mistake, setting the table with small bowls.

"Noelle, how was your traveling? Did you find us okay? Erik was worried your eye would not find his invitation, since you have many sisters who might have stumbled upon it instead," Flower spoke.

Noelle brushed her hair behind her left ear and smiled modestly,

"No, I found it alright."

"Very good," Flower encouraged, "I hope you always have such fortune with dinner invitations."

My girlfriend giggled charmingly and my heart skipped a beat. I found my eyes fixated on her skin.

"_Purrrr_" The sound came from under the table. All four of us leaned over to see what was going on. A cat with bright orange fur brushed its pelt against my leg and mewed.

Flower and Erik laughed.

"Come here," Erik held out his hand to the cat, revealing a treat he was holding. I guessed he must have had it in his pocket.

The cat ignored Erik and proceeded to the door, scratching its paw against the wood as if it were trying to open it.

"She wants to go outside and catch her own food, Erik. Not your silly feline treats." Flower stood, releasing my hand, and moved to the door. She made a funny sound as she turned the door knob: "Arr-rewww-rewww, Arr-Rewwww-rew" Erik joined her, "Arrr-rewwww-REW!"

Noelle and I exchanged looks; this was getting weird.

The cat purred louder and looked excitedly at Flower as the girl slowly inched the door open.

Noelle caught my eye and nodded her head towards the floor. I followed her directions and saw a cat bed with a piece of wood nailed to the wall above it with the label 'Aruru.'

Erik and Flower had been calling the cat's name. I raised my eyebrows back at Noelle and she tried her best to stop from smiling.

Flower finally swung open the door and Aruru The Cat pranced outside.

Flower looked to me and then to Erik,  
"Oh it is about time I check the stew. But I might need some help brining it in. Josh, mind joining me?"

"Sure. Absolutely," I stood from my seat immediately and walked out of the wagon with my curly-haired girlfriend.

Around the fire-pit-with-a-pot-over-it, Flower and I sat on two log stumps.

She stirred the stew with a long spoon and hummed.

Along the side of the wagon was a sign: '_The Werylys' Wagon of Shaxper-Eastern Caravan' _

"Who are the 'Werylys'?" I asked Flower. She looked up at the sign and frowned,

"Oh, sorry to bother you with that. I am a Weryly. Flower Weryly."

"Flower?"

"Yes, Josh?"

"Inside, Erik called you 'Flora'..."

Flower made no comment so I continued,

"Is that your real name?"

Flower shrugged,

"I suppose. Why, are you angry with me about it?"

"No. I'm just curious why you have me call you 'Flower'?"

"I have the girl inside call me 'Flower' too!"

"…Don't you think you should have introduced yourself to me as 'Flora'?"

"No," she seemed stern, "I do not."

I felt angry,

"Why not?"

She stirred the stew more fiercely,

"What is your name, then? Josh is short for 'Joshua,' is it not?"

I nodded, unwillingly.

Flower continued,

"But you introduced yourself to me as 'Josh'! For the sake of purple trees! We all have preferences on what we are called."

I dropped the subject and watched the horses as they ate from tall containers filled with…well, whatever it is they were filled with.

"Flower, I have something I'd like to tell you…" I took a deep breath, preparing myself to reveal my secret. My eye caught the wagon again and for a second my thoughts splintered off into ponderings of what Noelle and Erik were doing inside. I subdued those wonderings and turned to Flower.

"What?" she looked into my eyes, sounding slightly out of breath as if she knew what I was going to say.

"I think you will want to hear this. You see, I am more than I appear to be…" _Maybe Erik and Noelle are still sitting at the table talking? But what is it about?_ "I am part of a special, selected few…" _What if Erik has stood up? What if they are talking while standing? Are they standing close together? What if they are standing close together AND talking?_ "My tribal ancestors, the ancestors of the Quileute, were gifted with a very powerful ability…" _What if he's mentioning to her that he likes dancing? What if she says she likes dancing too?_ "We can change into supernatural forms, with super strength and other enhanced abilities…." _Maybe he's taking her waist right now? And she is taking his hand? Maybe they are starting to step together?_ "We use our power to protect our tribe. Much like knights. We protect our people from enemies such as vicious monsters, which obviously requires a lot of bravery…" _Maybe he is making her laugh? Maybe she is making him laugh back? Maybe they like dancing together?_ "The form we change into is similar to a wolf, but much bigger, like a bear…" _Noelle Weryly? Erik and Noelle Weryly? Mr. and Mrs. Erik and Noelle Weryly? _"I am telling you this because I care about you and I trust you, I think you deserve to know…" _Eoelle doesn't sound good. Neither does Nrik…Oh wait, but his name is really Federick…_ "I know this may be a lot for you to handle, but I'm here if you need comforting and I can even prove it for you if you like." _Does he even know anything about her? Has he even known her long enough to invite her to dinner? Or is he being inappropriate and taking advantage of her?_

I lost my train of thought and found I was staring at the wagon, no longer looking into Flower's eyes, and I wondered how long I'd been like this. I turned to Flower and she smiled hugely,

"You are telling me you are a shapeshifter?" She looked doubtful.

"Yes, I am. Would you like to see?" I tried to get up but she grabbed my arm and shook her head, still smiling,

"I believe you." I think she thought I was joking.

I sat back down on my stump and she kept her eyes in mine and her hand on me. She moved closer, slowly, and sat on my lap. I barely had time to think _'Best. Date. Ever.' _ before she started kissing me.

It was only for a moment though, for the wagon door opened and Erik leaned his head out,

"Flora! The stew?"

Flower jumped at his words. I had heard him open the door but hadn't taken my hands off her back or stopped responding to her kissing. She rushed off my lap and replied to her brother,

"Be right there!"

Erik nodded and walked back inside, leaving the door open.

She giggled,

"Sorry. You distract me."

"Trust me, that's more than okay."

She beamed as she tried to lift the pot. I stood close behind her and helped her remove it. Then I carried it for her to the door, where she told me to hold it so everyone could take turns filling their bowls. Erik filled his first, with a blank face and making no eye contact with me. I hoped he wasn't unhappy with me for kissing his little sister. Noelle was next, she glanced at me for a second, smiling and started to fill her bowl. She almost dropped the spoon on the floor but I was able to catch it for her and give it back. As she finished taking her share, I examined her face, wondering if she looked any different from earlier, because I thought she would look different if she had kissed Erik while Flower and I were outside. I couldn't tell though. Flower came last to fill her bowl and mine. She kissed me on the cheek in-between. Noelle happened to be looking at us then. I didn't dare try to see what her expression was after that. Then I brought the pot back to the fire and sat down in my chair at the table.

We had no spoons and after a second Noelle and I realized we would have to sip the stew as if it were in a cup. Awkwardly, we did so.

Noelle's dress was green and blue. She made me feel under-dressed but Erik was wearing jeans.

Shouting voices came from outside and I recognized them from the pack. Everyone stopped eating and listened. We heard a hiss and Aruru ran back inside of the wagon, since I had left the door opened. Flower and Erik exchanged looks.

I heard the pack getting closer.

"I will take care of this," Flower told Erik, getting up and walking outside. I rose to go with her but Erik put a hand on my shoulder,

"Stay."

I froze and slowly slipped back down into my chair. Noelle looked anxious.

"We were going to talk to you about this once we were finished eating, but clearly that will be too late. Flower and I were traveling in our wagon when we heard a terrible sound during the full moon night. We were looking for something in this area and thought the sound might have come from it."

"Was it like, a scream?" Noelle asked. Erik nodded,

"The caterwaul resonated from the woods near your house, where we found Courtney limp."

My skin started to burn and Noelle widened her eyes, looking at me.

"Where is she?" I demanded. Erik quieted his voice,

"She is safe, I promise."

I heard Jacob speak outside,

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

I ran out of the wagon, to where Flower was standing facing the pack in human form led by Jacob.

"Jake!" I wanted to tell him about Courtney, but he gave me a look that made me shut my mouth. Noelle and Erik now stood behind me.

"I could ask you the same questions!" Flower retorted.

"We are missing a member of our pack. This is our search party," Jacob said.

"If you don't tell us what you know, we will destroy your wagon looking for her!" Kyle shouted from behind Jacob. He ran up to Flower and growled at her. Flower turned and gestured with her hand dismissively,

"You and your bellwether get out of here."

"Not without Courtney!" It was CJ that spoke this time. I locked eyes with him. I could tell he was angry with me.

_I must look really bad right now…_

Flower walked back into the wagon, and I followed her while Erik and Noelle stayed outside. She opened the door to the other room and revealed Courtney, lying on a bed, with bloody sheets in a pile next to her.

"She is still healing," Flower said, her voice soft and scared-sounding now. I kneeled by Courtney and examined her. "Please, Josh, understand. She only gave us one name, 'Jack' and so we were looking for him but we found you and Noelle instead. We were going to see if either of you knew what to do with her."

"I do know what to do with her! She's part of my pack! She's a shapeshifter too!"

Flower rolled her eyes,

"You and your chimerical tales."

"I'm serious! Flower, all of those people out there are shapeshifters!"

Flower's expression changed,

"Honestly?"

"Yes!"

"Well, then, you take her to them."

I lifted Courtney's body in my arms, wondering why she wasn't waking up, and carried her out to Jacob.

**PLEASE REVIEW! No reviews last chapter =( **

**-Ria M. Write. **

**PS: thanks for reading! ;D**


	64. Leather Pantaloons

**_7-Eleven _**

**Chapter 64: "Leather Pantaloons"**

* * *

**Tasha's POV**

There were three plates of food on the table: one with chicken nuggets in the shape of dinosaurs, another held carrots mixed with broccoli, and the last had rice. Under the table, Stacy sat wagging her tail and taking turns staring at each of the children hoping we'd drop a nice juicy T-Rex for him.

Mom was going to make macaroni and cheese too, but Dad insisted that we should have no dairy on the account of all our sniffling from the cold weather.

Alexander was still over out house as well.

"Where is Deanna?" Mom asked. She looked around the table at her children's faces, realizing the third oldest was indeed missing.

My sisters exchanged looks.

"Probably with her boyfriend," I shrugged and smirked, chewing a Triceratop.

"She's still in her room," Ani told Mom. Dad stood from the table and walked to the bottom of the stairs,

"Deanna! Come on, have dinner with us!"

Looking ghostly, Deanna came to the dining room and sat down in her chair.

"Are you ok?"Ani whispered to her, "You've been looking sick since you got back from the airport."

"Where's Noelle?" Deanna asked.

"Where's the macaroni and cheese?" Kathleen asked.

"I'm not making any," Mom began eating her vegetables.

"What? Why!" Kathleen whined. Elise pouted,

"I bet Noelley gets to eat macaroni and cheese at her friend's house."

"Elise, it's not her _friend's_ house," I corrected her, "She's on a _date_!"

"Oooh, her _boy_friend's house!" Kathleen laughed.

"What's a 'boyfriend?'" Alexander asked Kathleen quietly.

"It's a guy that a girl's in _love_ with!" Elise exclaimed, giggling. Dad rolled his eyes,

"Elise! That's enough boy talk."

"And a guy who the girlfriend _kisses_ and takes _baths_ with!" Kathleen added.

"Oh," Alexander laughed, "Like my brother and sister!"

Me, Aria, Deanna, and Ani all exchanged looks.

"Kathleen! Where did you hear that? Stop! No more talking about boyfriends! That stuff is disgusting," said Dad.

Slowly, the giggling died down. Dad gave Mom a look as if to say 'what have you been teaching them?'

"Hey, guys?" Aria began, staring down at her lap, "Why are they called 'pants?'"

"What?" We looked at our sister like she was crazy.

"Like, 'pants' is plural, so singularly it's 'pant.' Like…" Aria started breathing exaggeratedly, like she had just been running, "Like, 'panting?' Where is the connection?"

"It's short for 'pantaloons,'" Mom told her. .

Ani laughed,

"'Pantaloons?' That's a funny word."

Soon all of us were repeating the word over and over again and our parents started wishing Mom hadn't told us.

A minute later, someone knocked on the door. Dad went to answer it.

"Sam...What did she do?" Upon our dad's curious words, my mom, sisters, Alexander, and I got out of our seats to see what was going on. In the doorway, a man from the pack held Noelle's shoulder, as if she were to try to runaway.

Sam looked stern,

"Be more careful with where you let your daughter roam."

"Excuse me?" But Dad's surprised tone of voice was ignored as Sam stepped away and revealed another boy behind him. "He followed me here," Sam said, walking away.

"Erik," Ani said under her breath.

Noelle came inside and Erik bowed his head to our father,

"May I enter?"

"Um, sure…" Dad was confused.

Erik walked inside and Dad closed the door behind him.

"I could not just let a guest be carried away so rudely," Erik told father, looking at Noelle, "And thank you for allowing her to have dinner with my sister and I. It was pleasant until…" Erik stopped himself, clearly thinking better than to forge further words.

"What happened?" Dad asked Noelle.

"The pack showed up at Erik's house looking for Courtney," Noelle explained.

"We had found Courtney in the woods last night; she was injured and could not speak so we took her into our house," Erik explained, "She is with her pack now."

"Coutney is hurt?" Alexander's eyes began to get tear-filled.

"Where?" Deanna asked, stepping close to the door.

"At a house nearby," Erik pointed in the direction of the Cullens and Dee picked up Alexander and opened the front door. Dad followed after them.

Before anyone could close the door again, Josh approached.

"Erik! Where's Flower?"

"Still at our house."

"Thanks…hey, weren't you wearing jeans before?" Josh pointed to Erik's leather pants. Erik nodded,

"I changed into my trousers."

"Why?"

Erik shrugged,

"Just incase that Jacob character tries to burn down my house: I wanted to save my favorite leather trousers." We all laughed.

"Leather pantaloons," Aria giggled, quietly.

"What?" Josh had heard her.

"Nothing."

Erik winked and I followed his eyes to see that it had been to Ani. Ani blushed.

_Wait- isn't he _Noelle's_ new boyfriend?_

"I will go back to Flower now," Erik announced.

**Josh's POV**

Erik's cheeks turned a little pink as Ani started speaking.  
"Nice seeing you. You should join us for dinner sometime, since you had Noelle over."

The politeness in the second eldest daughter's voice took me off guard and made me curious as to why Erik would be blushing.

_Maybe he's thinking about kissing Noelle._

"Sure, come over anytime," Mrs. Jenny Brentwood said.

Erik's eyes watched Ani as she brushed back her hair,

"I will." Ani smiled at him and then began to lift her hair up off her neck to put it in a ponytail. Erik's expression looked entranced and I half expected him to start drooling. Interestingly, I saw that Noelle was oblivious to the flirting Ani and Erik were clearly partaking in.

Stacy started barking madly at the back door and all the Brentwoods moved to the kitchen to find out what was going on.

As Ani turned to go, however, Erik fastened his hand around hers and caused to her wait.

"What?" Ani asked him, ignoring the fact that I was wide-eyed staring at them.

"Will you meet me tonight? I have something I want to show you." Several guesses as to what it was Erik wanted to _show her_ exactly ran through my head, none of which included purely platonic behavior.

"I can't…sorry. That doesn't sound like a good idea." Ani told him, "I like your leather trousers, though," she added with a teasing laugh.

Erik smiled,

"Thank you."

He let go of Ani's palm and glanced towards the kitchen, "Bye, Noelle! You were nice company. I'll be back to arrange another date soon!"

"Bye!" Noelle called from the kitchen, still preoccupied by Stacy's barking. From what I could hear, there was a bunny in the backyard.

"Stay beautiful," he whispered before turning away from the Brentwood girl and heading out the door. He ignored my mouth-hanging-way-the-hell-open expression and walked into the woods. Ani closed the front door and I hit myself in the face.

"Stupid Josh, why do you always end up in messes?"

That was certainly something I did _not_ want to see.

Brain scrambling with amazement, I couldn't help but speak to myself aloud,

"Noelle didn't even notice! Her boyfriend was all cheating on her with her older sister and she just stood there OBLIVIOUS! What am I supposed to do? Tell Flower?"

My thoughts went back to when I made out with her and I decided I wouldn't want to say anything that could potentially prevent the kissing from ever happening again. Ever.

"Tell Noelle?" At that I just laughed at myself and moved to my next option,

"What if I…tell Taylor?" I blinked, "BRIALLIANT! Josh, you've done it again!"

**Deanna's POV**

"Where's Jack?" Courtney's soft, fragile voice strained to speak those few words.

"He's coming. He will be here any second," I promised her. Nessie stepped beside me,

"Dee," she whispered in my ear. Then I felt her hand on my shoulder and a vision rushed into my mind.

_Through a window, I could see Dad and Carlisle arguing in the woods._

I gave Nessie an anxious look.

Courtney reached over and held Alexander's hand from where he sat next to her on the bed.

The relative silence broke as CJ, Jack, and Theresa pushed past the pack to get to Courtney.

"I brought him," CJ announced to Courtney. Courtney smiled as Jack stood over her.

"Do you know what happened?" Jack asked his girlfriend.

"It's hard for her to speak," Nessie told the boy, hoping to save Courtney from forcing her voice to respond. The half-vampire child's efforts made no difference; Courtney spoke:

"Werewolf," she said.

For whatever reason, eyes turned to CJ. Maybe it was because he had just sat down or maybe it was because he was the only one whose thoughts couldn't be read; the only one who could keep secrets.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**Please review, everyone! **


	65. And I Thought it was Awkward for Me

_**7-Eleven **_

**Chapter 65: "**And I thought it was awkward for _me_."__

(Wow. 65? Such a short FF =P)

**Deanna's POV**

"Carlos?"

CJ stood at the sound of his name. Dad and Carlisle were back inside the house now.

"It appears that your blood test results are ready," Carlisle told him.

"Yes?" He waited. I could hear he was holding his breath.

Dad spoke,

"You _are_ of Quileute descent after all."

CJ looked relieved, but apparently the news wasn't over:

"Revealed by your blood test was something…else, as well." Carlisle added. He looked CJ in the eye and spoke, "Vampire."

CJ blinked. It looked as if his soul had left his body; an empty expression took over his face.

"Wha_t_?" I was the one to speak.

Both scientist and doctor looked at me curiously.

I couldn't be the only one to think this all looked very bad. Courtney mysteriously hurt by a werewolf in the woods during what was supposed to be my, her, and _CJ's_ shift and then CJ turns out to be a mutant, mutt, monster freak?

"Did you do this?" I demanded him to answer, "Did you?" I pointed to Courtney. Jack's face turned upset,

"Shut up, you! CJ didn't do this! Some monster did!"

"He_ is_ some monster! Isn't he? What kind of being could come out of a mix like that? You suspect a nice, friendly being? He's the one who did it!"

Carlisle glanced cautiously at my stoic-looking father and then took a step towards me.

Nessie put a hand on my cheek,

"My dear Dee, I'm a mix of things too. And so is your twin."

"This is different!" I stomped my foot, "He is a _vampire_ and a _werewolf_! He's just a monster, and we should lock him up before he tries to attack one of us again! We can't possibly risk trusting him!"

CJ still stood there, expressionless and motionless.

For a minute I felt like I had when I had been her for Rosalie and Emmett's (latest) wedding celebration- right after I yelled at Seth. Everyone was looking at me with the same disappointment and disapproval. The feeling stopped as something painfully struck my face. Nessie had pulled back her hand from my cheek and returned it with a forceful slap.

"Ow! Nessie!" I turned to her.

"You're horrible!" She said to me, spinning around and running away. I could hear a sob come from her as she exited out a door. Jacob left us to go after her.

"I said it was different!" I insisted, defensively and quietly. _Why would she cry?_

"It looks like the old Dee is back," Brady said. Sam looked worried, still watching in the direction that Jacob and Nessie had run off too.

"Deanna," Dad began, looking at my face. I lifted my hand to my cheek and found that it was swelling up.

Carlisle took my arm,

"Come with me," he whispered in my ear. He led me upstairs. I felt like I was being given a time-out.

My dad tried to follow us, but Carlisle pointed to Courtney,

"She needs one of us to stay with her."

I'm sure my dad wasn't happy with that but he didn't outwardly protest.

Carlisle sat me down in a chair in his office.

"Now, how long has it been since Seth left?" His yellow-y eyes clearly showed compassion and his soft expression clawed down to my heart.

I started crying. Which wasn't my fault. I didn't mean to. But sometimes tears just come out of you without being able to be stopped.

The truth was, I knew _exactly_ how long it had been. In hours, minutes, and seconds; it was like there was a stop watch inside of me. Or maybe a more accurate description would be a timer…and it threatened me. It told me that I better not go overtime. It told me, when the timer goes off, I **better** be with Seth, or…or…. But I didn't ask the ticking clock what it would do if I disobeyed. Little I feared of it inflicting further pain on me (I was already in so much pain, that didn't bother me) but I was afraid it would go after Seth. I wondered if he had one too; I wondered if he had an internal timer telling him when the bread above the fire would be burnt too baldly to eat.

"That wasn't very nice what you did to my granddaughter," Carlisle told me, breaking away my thoughts.

"That wasn't very nice what she did to my face," I responded.

Carlisle told me that my face was already finished healing and looked down at his desk to think for a moment.

"You don't see why what you said hurt her, do you?"

"Because she is a mix of vampire and human?"

Carlisle shook his head,

"Jacob might have even been hurt by what you said."

"Because he imprinted on Nessie?" …Then it clicked, "Oh."

I felt guilt run through me. If Nessie were to have children one day, it would be with Jacob. Jacob's a werewolf. Nessie's half vampire. Their children would be vampire and werewolf.

And I had just called such a mix to be monsters.

"We should be happy that someone like CJ exists. It proves the possibility that if Jacob and Renesmee were to -"

"Please! I understand. You don't have to explain anymore." My face darkened with embarrassment. The subject of my best friend's likelihood of being able to make babies with my boss was a little too awkward for me to discuss with her grandpa.

"So you are going to apologize to them? I am sure they are talking to each other in the woods close by."

"Yes." I wondered what kind of thing they would be saying to each other exactly and then realized Jacob was probably trying to reassure Nessie that their babies weren't going to be mutant monsters.

That thought made me uncomfortable, seeing as I know for a fact that Jacob and Nessie haven't even had a real first kiss yet. Nessie wasn't quite old enough to be doing those things as of now.

I got up from my seat and pushed open the office door. As I walked down the stairs, I passed Edward.

"Hello, Dee. How are things?"

_Oh, splendid. I have to go interrupt a conversation between my boss and my best friend (who have a platonic relationship in which they discuss the probability of making babies together) so that I can apologize for accidently calling their future children untrustworthy monsters._

"Good," was all I said. Edward had, however, heard all of my thoughts and stopped walking for a second to consider what I had said. Then he chuckled,

"And I thought it was awkward for _me_." 

"You still have it worse," I assured him. Bella walked up the stairs then, too, and she and Edward shared a loving look at each other.

My heart sunk; I missed Seth. Frowning, I continued down the stairs.

"He'll be back before you know it, he misses you too, I'm sure," Edward told me. I ignored everyone's stares as I walked back past Courtney towards the front door. When I got outside, I found CJ sitting on the ground with his face buried in his hands.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. Then I bit my tongue: _Of course he's not; I called him a monster and insisted he be locked up._

I kneeled down next to him.

"Go away," he said to me, not lifting his head.

"I'm sorry," I said to him, "I know you would never hurt Courtney."

"I said go away."

I sighed to myself and moved out into the woods, looking for Jacob and Nessie.

I caught their scent and followed it to a peculiar wagon in the woods, some distance from the Cullens'. It was quite dark by now.

There, Jake and Nessie crouched behind a pile of logs, watching the wagon.

"What are we doing?" I asked them, squatted down beside them.

The look Jake and Nessie gave me was far from welcoming.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I apologized to CJ too." I whispered.

Nessie put her hand on Jacob's arm and he said to me,

"I'm sorry for sending Seth away."

I quickly looked away from them, afraid of crying again.

Nessie hugged me. I hugged her back and she showed me how Jacob had wiped away her tears and then how she had wiped away his. Then they saw Josh and followed him to this wagon.

"This is where they found Courtney," Nessie whispered to me.

As she spoke, a loud _thump_ can from inside the wagon and a spherical, clear object rolled out of the wagon's open door and fell to the ground, followed by a strangely-colored cat.

"That cat's fur is the color of blood!" Nessie exclaimed, in a hushed voice. Jacob nodded, agreeing with her. It would have been difficult to see the color in the dark night if it weren't for the lantern hanging above the wagon's door. And for the fact that we all have amazing vision.

A girl with a loose, long brown skirt and shirt paired with a red cape stepped out of the wagon and up to the purring cat.

"That's Flower," Jacob told us.

"Aruru, were you chasing the shew stone again?"

The cat rubbed its head against the 'shew stone' and the girl laughed.

"Scrying isn't for kitties, Miss Aruru."

The girl turned her head towards the wagon,

"Josh, come here. I have more to show you outside."

Josh, looking a little disheveled, stepped out of the wagon and followed Flower a little closer to where the three of us were hiding.

I tensed, worried he would smell us or hear us. Flower smiled mischievously and moved really close to Josh before placing a kiss on his neck. Josh wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lips. I relaxed; clearly he was thoroughly distracted. Flower giggled and stepped away, Josh watched her every move.

She clapped her hands and shouted, "Aha!"

Something seemed to fly off of the scenery next to us and suddenly a large cage was there. Jacob, Nessie, and I all fell back, shouting in shock.

Flower and Josh saw us.

Josh's face reddened and Flower looked caught off-guard.

Nessie and Jacob were staring at the cage, which had _definitely_ not been there a minute ago. At least, we didn't see it…

It consisted of thick metal bars on all four sides. It stood 12x12 and inside a sleeping man lied with only a blanket covering him, no clothes. His hair was muddy and his skin covered in scrapes and scabs.

"Who is that?" Jacob asked, jumping up.

Nessie and I stood too.

Flower looked down at her feet as Erik came out of the wagon. He moved to stand behind his sister.

"Why do you have a man in a cage?" Jacob sounded disgusted by the poor treatment of the man, "Let him go!"

"We mustn't!" Flower exclaimed, "He's a werewolf!"

Josh looked shocked.

"Is this what attacked Courtney?" I asked the girl. She nodded.

"You've had it all along?" Jacob asked, almost angry but not quite.

"He is ours. We always keep in a cage during a full moon but he broke his cage that night. He escaped! We chased after him but by the time we caught up, he was already attacking Courtney."

"You have a pet werewolf?" Josh asked, sounded entranced and bewildered.

Flower hesitantly nodded,

"Yes."

I looked over at the man again. He was the real thing; not a shapeshifter, but a true werewolf.

"The full moon is over, why is he in a cage?" Nessie asked.

"He was naughty! How could we let him out of his cage if he hurt a girl?"

"But can't he not control what he does during a full moon?" I asked.

Flower gave me a nasty look.

"Aruru says the little girl smells like vampire," Erik said to Flower, pointing to Nessie.

"And you talk to cats?" Josh sounded as if he was trying his best to make sense of everything.

"You are lucky he did not attack you!" Flower said to Nessie. Jacob wrapped his arms around his imprint.

"Ok, what _are_ you? You keep a werewolf as a pet, know about vampires, talk to cats, and own a crystal ball!" I exclaimed, looking between the strange sister and her brother.

"Witches," Josh mumbled, sounding dazed, "Witches, witches, witches…"

"And what are you doing here?" asked Jacob.

Flower answered,

"We did not mean to come here. I told you, we had to chase our werewolf. We do not know what got into him, it was like something was calling him here."

"Why do you keep a _pet_ werewolf?" Nessie asked.

"We are hunting some, er, _someone_," Erik answered, "And the easiest way to kill him is with a werewolf. He is terrified of them."

"How long have you been hunting this person?" Jacob asked.

"Two years," Erik responded. Flower added,

"It is very difficult lining up a full moon with a day we have him cornered. Especially because he is a good hider; just when you think you have him, he's gone…."

"Who is 'he' exactly? Do you know his name?" The look on Jacob's face revealed excitement.

"Nothing you need to know!" Flower told our Alpha.

"Charles." Erik seemingly decided it was okay for us to know. Flower hit his arm.

Nessie and I exchanged looks of happiness- someone else was chasing Charles! At this rate, he won't be 'alive' much longer.

_Maybe they know his relationship with the Volturi_, I said inwardly.

_If that's true, then Seth can come back home! _

"We have been chasing the same guy. In fact, we caught him. But-"

Josh cut off Jacob,

"But then he dissolved into thin air…." Josh was looking more and more ill by the second.

Erik looked confused,

"You did not hold on to him?"

"He did not _dissolve_, he simply becomes _invisible_. As in, he was still there; you just could not see him. If you had been holding on to him, he would not have gotten away," Flower informed us matter-of-factly.

"Why are you hunting him?" Jacob asked, "What has he done to you?"

Erik and Flower exchanged looks.

"We want something from him," Flower admitted, "His power is fascinating. We wish to study it and learn from it."

Jacob looked stern suddenly,

"_We_ are trying to _destroy_ him."

Erik raised his eyebrows,

"As you should. He is trying to do the same to all of you."

The boy's statement sent chills through my spine.

Josh stumbled over his feet and babbled something strange. I stepped over to him, ignoring Flower's warning glances, and held his hand.

"Josh," I whispered in his ear, "It's okay. Jake's not mad at you."

"That's not what's bothering him!" Flower screeched at me, taking Josh's other hand, "He's lovesick!"

Erik rolled his eyes.

"Let Josh and I have a moment alone!" She to all of us, walking towards the wagon and tugging on Josh's hand to come with her. He glanced at me blankly, letting go of my hand and going along with Flower inside.

Jacob and Nessie exchanged looks.

**Aria's POV**

"Alexander forgot his backpack here," Ani told me.

I took the bag from her,

"I'll bring it over to the Cullens for him." I grabbed my jacket. I wanted to go the Cullens partly because I was curious as to what was going on with Courtney; partly because Embry was there and I haven't been seeing him very often; and partly because CJ might be there too.

It was spooky walk through the dark woods alone.

As I approached the front of the house, I saw someone sitting on the ground. They were facing away from me, but as I got closer I recognized that it was CJ by his stature.

_Should I go over and talk to him_?

_No I better not. _

_No…He looks upset, and he's alone…I think I should. _

_I agree that I should…_

"CJ?"

He twitched a little, probably not expecting my voice.

"Yes?" He asked, not looking at me, but keeping his face on his knees.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing?"

"You sure? You don't sound too sure…"

He shrugged. I glanced over at the Cullen's front door. _No one better come outside._

I took a deep breath, put down Alexander's backpack, and sat right next to CJ. The ground was cold.

I shivered involuntarily.

Without looking up at me, he leaned over and placed his head on my lap. My face reddened. _Embry's going to kill me._

"Um, what's wrong?" I tried asking again.

"I don't want to talk about it."

_Oh, no. You just want to cuddle about it. Awesome_, I sarcastically thought.

"Please? You can tell me." I hesitantly put a hand on his head.

"I'm a monster."

"…The whole pack is filled with monsters," I reminded him, "But I think you guys are cool." I tried to make my voice sound lighthearted and not panic-y

He shook his head. Which was awkward seeing as it was still on my lap.

"I am a bloodsucker."

"What?" I laughed by accident, "N-no. You're a shapeshift-"

"I'm both."

My thoughts stopped making sense.

"…_what_?"

"Yeah."

"Wait-how did you find this out?"

"Blood test."

_Oh._

I sniffled. I had a cold.

"Oh."

"Are you sick?" he asked, looking up at me. From my lap.

"A little. Just a cold."

"Here," he sat up and enclosed me in his arms, pressing his torso against my side. Not sure if this was much better than my lap.

"Thanks."

He was really warm.

"Wait- at least this explains why you are cold sometimes."

"I'm cold most of the time," CJ corrected me.

"You always seem toasty-warm to me!" I told him. Then mentally hit myself for sounding silly.

He smiled,

"Thanks."

I hadn't really meant it as a particular compliment, but whatever.

He looked behind me,

"Why do you have Alex's backpack?"

"He left it at my house. I was bringing it here."

"Ah."

"…you really don't like vampire, huh?"

CJ nodded.

"And now you find out that you_ are_ one, partly…" I trailed off.

"Si, it's bad."

He looked down and I practically saw his self-esteem dropping.

I hugged him and he held me tighter. Which forced my head to be on his shoulder.

"It's okay," I told him, in my sweetest possible voice.

_Embry's going to kill me Embry's going to kill me Embry's going to kill me-_

The front door opened. I jumped up at the sound, trying to distance myself from CJ as fast as possible before anyone saw.

It was Sam.

"I-I have Alex's backpack!" I told him, rushing over to him and handing him the bag. He raised his eyebrows at me,

"Thanks you," and walked back inside.

I looked over at CJ who was standing where we had been hugging before.

He looked disappointed that I had left him so quickly.

I shamefully blushed,

"Um, sorry."

"It's okay," he said, "There's not really a good place to be alone around here."

"…Want to come over my house?" I suggested, "I have a place where we can talk."

CJ smiled,

"I would love to."

**Please review! Thanks sooooooo much to everyone who has been!**

**-Ria M. Write **


	66. Well, Clearly on my Leg

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 66: "Well, Clearly on my Leg."

**Josh's POV**

Flower closed the wagon door behind us.

"Josh, are you okay?"

I slowly nodded, clearing my head.

"I-I just need to go talk to some people…" _I still have to tell Taylor about Ani and Erik_.

"Okay, Joshy-boo," she reached up to my hair and ran her fingers through what little of it there was, "I will see you again soon."

_Joshy-boo?_ _Ew._

"Yes, see you, Flower," I leaned down to kiss her goodbye and our lips met for a second. Then I turned and left out of the wagon, running past Jacob, Erik, Nessie, and Dee and towards the Cullens' house again.

When I walked in I found that Courtney had fallen asleep and most of the guys had gone home.

I laughed a little when I thought how shocked Noelle will be when she finds out her boyfriend's a witch.

Returning my focus, I spotted Taylor by a window. I walked over to him,

"Ay, TayTay!"

"Joshy!"

We did a 'man hug' and chuckled.

"How's Courtney been doing?"

"She's fine now. Healing has quickened up."

"Good, good…so um, you _like_ Ani, right?"

Taylor hesitated,

"Yes…Why?"

"Well, this other guy had been flirting with her like _crazy_."

Taylor's face dropped all happiness,

"…What?" he asked very seriously.

"Yup. Calls her beautiful, makes her laugh, invites her for romantic walks in the woods at _night_…the whole thing."

"But I…but she…her and I…." Taylor fell to the floor and started doing very fast push-ups, "This is ridiculous! I'm going to find this guy and talk to him! Doesn't he know that she's interested in _me_?" Taylor sprung back up to his feet, "He's going to be informed."

"Good idea," I patted Taylor on his shoulder, "Nice. You're all sweaty."

"It's my tough-juice."

I chuckled and then rolled my eyes,

"That's nothing. When I sweat, I sweat pure _Awesome._"

"Where is this guy?" Taylor asked me.

"His name is Erik. He's Flower's older brother. Just follow the ribbons in the woods."

Taylor jumped up a down a few times, warming himself up for a fight, and then left.

**Aria's POV**

Rule # 1 for bringing secret boys into my house: don't let your sisters see him. They _will_ tell someone. Maybe it would be Mom or Dad, maybe their boyfriends

_Maybe my boyfriend…_

I felt nauseous calling Embry my "boyfriend." It didn't sound right. It didn't feel right. He hardly visits me nowadays and we haven't had a good conversation in forever. Clearly he had changed since I had first met him. He used to be so nice and sweet to me. Quite honestly, I wouldn't feel bad if he broke up with me. But I'm sure that also has to do with the fact that I was currently sneaking CJ into my house.

We reached the end of the woods and the beginning of my front yard. I turned to CJ, finding that he was standing much closer to me than I realized.

"Um. You wait here." I stepped into my yard. He stepped too. I turned back to him. "No. Like, _right here_. Stay. Please."

"But why can't I come inside your house with you?" He asked.

"Because I have to make sure that-" I thought about my sisters and my parents and the pack and Embry and I felt overwhelmed trying to explain. I stomped my foot in frustration. "Because I said so! Just stay here for a few minutes! DON'T move!" I told him, "I'll be right back. I promise."

"Ok."

I pointed for him to step back into the woods and he did so. Then I sighed and quickly moved to my front door. I opened it to see Ani and Kathleen in the living room.

I walked in and closed the door behind me.

"Hi Aria," Ani greeted me, drawing a picture in her notebook. Kathleen was busy doing schoolwork.

"Hi Ani," I replied, casually walked downstairs and to the laundry room. Stacy was lying down in its doorway. I bit my lip.

"Stacy, how about you move into the playroom?" I whispered to my dog, slightly pulling at her collar to make her get up and move. She thought I was trying to give her food and started sniffing my hand instead of getting up.

_Ugh. I need to close this door!_

"Ani! Can you call Stacy for me?"

"Why?"

"Please?"

"Why?"

"Please?"

"Why?"

"Ugh! Just plleeeaasssee! I'll do your school work for the next week!"  
"Nah, I don't want your stupidness to make my school work look bad."

"Analiese! Just call Stacy for me!"

"No! Be nicer to me!"

"You're the one who won't just call Stacy for me! You brat!"

"Aria! You're the one being a brat here!"

"JUST CALL HER!"

"NO!"

"What are you guys fighting about?" I heard Noelle ask as she came down into the living room.

"Aria's being mean and a brat as usual," Ani answered her.

"No! I just want Ani to call Stacy for me!"

"Why?" Noelle asked.

I sat down, giving up and completely exasperated.

The doorbell rang. My eyes widened.

I heard Noelle answering it.

"Hi…"

"Hola."

I covered my face with my hands and then walked upstairs and over to where CJ was standing in the front door.

I grabbed his wrist and led him to the downstairs bathroom, closing the door behind us and hoping my sisters weren't going to be nosey.

"Um. What's going on?"

I hit his arm,

"You idiot! I told you to wait in the woods!"

"You were taking a really long time. I was getting cold."

It felt very unnatural to hear a pack guy say he was 'getting cold.'

"I didn't want my sisters to see you!"  
"Why?"

"I was _going_ to show you a secret place I have where we could be alone. I don't want them to find out where it is."

"So why did I have to wait in the woods?"

"Because I was going to open the stairs that lead from the back of the house into the laundry room!"

"Oh."

"Apologize!"  
"Sorry."

I crossed my arms.

"So where's the place we can be alone? Is this it?" He gazed around the small room.

"There's nothing secret about a bathroom," I mumbled.

"So where?"

"You have to wait until I'm done being angry at you."

"Ok."

I felt stupid. What I was going to do, bring CJ into the same place where I had my first kiss with Embry? What a terrible idea!

I shook my head,

"Nevermind. It's probably better if you go home."

CJ's expression fell and he looked really sad.

"Sorry," I added quietly, opening the bathroom door and walking down the basement stairs into my bedroom. He followed me and sat down next to me on my bed.

"Do I really have to go home?" he asked. I stared down at my feet and shook my head.

He seemed a little happier,

"What's wrong?"

"You know my boyfriend, Embry?"

"Yeah," CJ sounded sad again.

"He has a lot of problems nowadays. He doesn't have time for me anymore."

"How could someone not have time for you?"

I felt my cheeks start to burn up.

"You're crazy," I said to him. He shrugged,

"Most likely."

"And really cheesy," I added.

He shrugged again.

I looked at him,

"You know, your hair is really long. For a pack guy, I mean. Most of them have buzz cuts."

"I heard that Jacob used to grow his out. I like my hair." CJ said proudly.

"I do too," I laughed, "It's almost enough to make a ponytail out of." Daringly, I put my hands in his hair and tried to form it into a pony tail. It was too short to work. "Hey, is this a scar?" I touched a very small, vertical line in the middle of his forehead right below his hair line.

"Yeah," he answered.

"How'd you get it?"

"I don't remember"

"Oh." I let go of his hair and he flipped it out of his eyes.

"Yeah. It hurt."

"Is that why you grow your hair out? To cover the scar?" CJ shrugged, "Nah. I don't care."

"I don't care about my scar either," I told him.

He narrowed his eyes,

"What scar?"

"It's bigger than your scar."

"What scar?"

"Well, I mean, I don't tell anyone normally so Embry doesn't even know about it."

"_What scar_?"

"The scar I have from open hear surgery," I said.

"Where?"

I narrowed my eyes at him,

"Well, clearly on my _leg_ since I had open _heart_ surgery."

He caught my sarcasm,

"So, it's on your chest?"

"Yeah. It goes from like," I pointed to area below my collarbone, "All the way down to," I pointed to the area right at the end of my ribcage, "And there's a dot below that too from where they had a tube inside of like my stomach to suck gunk out or something."

"Can I see?" CJ asked.

"Ummmm…" I took a moment to perceive his cockiness, "Nooo."

"Aww, why not?"

I blinked. _Seriously?_ "Because. I would have to like,… take my shirt off."

CJ shrugged. I hit his arm again.

He laughed,

"No, I mean, you could just lift your shirt up a little so I can see the parts that are on your belly."

"It's above my belly."

"Please?"

"No. You're bad, CJ."

"I know."

**Tasha's POV**

I knocked on my parents' bedroom door. No response. I knocked again.

"I'm on the phone for work right now!" Dad called from behind the door. He sounded stressed.

"Ok!" I called back.

Quietly, I leaned in and pressed my ear to the door.

I could barely make out some of the words he was saying into the phone:

"It's a fascinating discovery. I think you should examine him yourselves…No, of course, of course, however you want to-…He's planning on staying here for good. He's an orphan….That's right, from Spain…I think you would find him most valuable…I'll make sure he doesn't go anywhere or suspect anything….Very good….I'll prepare things immediately."

I heard footsteps towards the door and quickly jumped out of the way and darted across the hall into my room.

Throwing myself on my bed, I grabbed a book from my desk and opened it to a random page. My dad walked in.

"Was it you who knocked, Tash?" I looked up from my book,

"Yeah."

"What was it you wanted?"

I couldn't remember.

"…Just wanted to ask if you'd read this book to me," I held out the book towards him.

"Maybe later, Sweetie. I have to finish my work."

**Sorry for taking so long to update! More chapters will be up soon =) **

**Please Review!**

**-Ria M. Write. **


	67. Don't Ever Listen to Josh

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 67: "Don't Ever Listen to Josh"

(Special thanks to Noe for this chapter!)

Dee's POV

"_Ugh. I hate my life right now." _I accidently hit the top of my paw on a sharp rock I was stepping over. I instinctually started to lick it as it healed.

It was1:00 in the afternoon. I was in my wolf form. Leah, Chris, and Paul were all on shift.

"_What's the matter now?"_ Leah asked me.

"_It seems like Seth has been away forever." _Sweet thoughts of my imprint crowded my mind. Leah, being able to read my mind, saw them all, of course. She thought of some of her fond memories of her little brother, too. She missed him almost as much as I did, and was certainly just as anxious that he return safely soon. One memory that she had was of him trying to hug her when she was crying. I giggled at how cute he was when he was younger. I could see Mrs. Clearwater in the background of the memory and that reminded me that one day Leah was going to be my sister-in-law.

"…_You guys must all think I'm mean. For what I said to CJ and Nessie…"_

Paul, who had been previously consumed with thoughts of his imprint, answered first,

"_We know you didn't mean it, Dee." _

Leah and Chris agreed.

"_Nessie forgave me. And Jake did, too. But CJ doesn't understand that I wasn't being myself, that I'm just kind of…"_

"_Devastated," _Leah finished my sentence.

"_CJ doesn't have an imprint so he must not understand. I've tried talking to him a couple times now, I really have, but he doesn't want to forgive me! And since he can't read my thoughts like the rest of the pack can, I can't prove how sorry I am to him!"_

"_He has to forgive you eventually," _Leah assured me. Chris and Paul weren't as sure. CJ was suspicious to them, since he's so different.

"_At least I can talk to Seth soon. I can't wait." _I looked up at the sky, wondering what was taking him so long. He promised he would shift at this time.

I lied down and rested my head on my paws, trying to relax. Out of my control, my tail quickly wagged back and forth behind me, in anticipation.

Noelle's POV

_Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh! _

That one word sums up this boring, little, stupid town of nothing. It's just rain _rain_ rain _rain_ rain!

Truth is, this whole "Forks" place really is dull. _For once_, I actually wished I had some more schoolwork or chores to do...and that NEVER happens!

Dee is out of the house, doing whatever half-wolf-people do, Tasha and the twins are with my mom and dad shopping (which reminds me, I need to buy more clothes,) Aria is somewhere with CJ, and yes, I do realize that there MUST be something going on between them. I mean, _come on!_ I'm an expert at this kind of stuff!

Ani is somewhere…suspiciously, I don't know where…But, you know, I think I saw Erik and her walking down the street earlier….I'm probably just seeing things…

The only good thing that I miss from when Josh imprinted on me was that I had something to keep myself occupied with! But, then again, he'd always be like 'I have to go to my shift now' and so I'd find myself bored again.

I stood up from where I sitting watching the rain drip down the window.

_I guess I could save myself from dying of boredom by playing soccer._

Now that I know my dad is alive, I don't have to worry about getting bad feelings when I play soccer. So, I might as well.

I went to the garage, and got out our medium-size soccer goal-net. It wasn't full sized, but it was still pretty decent. We actually have two, but I really didn't feel like taking the other one out seeing as I will be playing alone anyway.

I had on baggy sweats and a sweatshirt…it's not like I was going anywhere.

After placing the net in the proper place, I dug around the garage for a pumped up soccer ball, and let me tell you, it was difficult to find!

Finally, after getting everything set up, I went to the backyard and just started playing some soccer. It was the most fun thing I'd done in a really long time. It'd been months since I'd gotten to play soccer, and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it.

I put the soccer ball down around where the P.K. should be in front of the goal, and took some shots. I did this for a while, then did some juggling, and then, starting far across from the net, I sprinted towards it and took a shot.

I was working so hard that I actually needed to take off my sweater, and had just a tank top on in this pouring, cold weather.

Of course, I'd had my iPod in this whole time. I like exercising while listening to music.

Anyway, as I was listening to my new favorite song ('Sexy and I know it' by LMFAO,) I felt a light tap on my shoulder. Now, you must understand that whenever I hear this particular song on the radio, my iPod, wherever, I start dancing like a crazy person. Same with all my older sisters; it's our thing.

Anyway, when I felt this tap on my shoulder, I was dancing like a mad person.

I immediately froze up, and ripped my earphones out of my ears. I slowly turned around to see Josh, trying to suppress his laughter with a hand over his mouth.

I felt SO embarrassed! So I decided to do what I do best: I hit him.

"I called your name like ten times!" He said through laughs. "You have that music on so loud that you can't hear a thing!"

"Yeah...well I thought I was alone. I'm supposed to be alone, this is _my_ property you know. And, it's like pouring, so it's hard to hear you anyways!" I said defensively.

"Jeeze...I never new that you could dance like that!" He said.

I just glared.

"Is there something you would like? Or would you just like to make fun of me?"

"No, sorry, um," He was still trying to suppress his laughter. "Okay," he finally got control of himself, "I never knew you played soccer?"

I was surprised.

"Um...yeah, I think you did. I'm pretty sure I told you before."

"Well, yeah, you have. But I didn't know that you still played. Like, I thought you quit or something."

"Okay, I would _never_ quit soccer! It's like my favorite thing in my life! I was only taking a break because...you know...it reminded me of my dad. But now that I know he's alive, it's not so painful playing anymore."

"Well," he fake coughed, "_surprisingly,_" and then returned to his normal voice, "You're pretty good."

"Ya, I know I am." I glared back, "That's how I met Brandon, you know."

Josh's POV

Wow, that one caught me off-guard. I didn't think Noelle wanted to mention him after the phone call, but apparently she was just going to pretend like there was no big deal.

"Speaking of him...are you guys still talking?"

"Umm...no. Why would I talk to him? He's like a drinker or whatever you call them."

"Wow, you're making one good decision in you're life." I put my hands in my pockets, remembering that I was shirtless with barely any pants on and in the rain…I must look good. Too bad Noelle didn't seem to notice.

She crossed her arms.

"_Excuse_ me?"

"Ok, fine, you've made _some _good decisions in your life...like, for example, dating me!" This felt kind of nice. It has been a while since Noelle and I have talked. And it's like now we are just two good friends talking about things….even if that "thing" was our past relationship, it was nice.

"The only reason I dated you was because you imprinted. And remember I broke up with you when you unimprinted," She told me, making excuses.

"Uh-uh. _I _broke up with _you_, remember?"

"Yeah, but I was thinking it first! It's not fair!" She whined.

I chuckled,

"Okay fine, it was mutual. We can settle with that."

"Fine." She mumbled.

"Anyway, I was over here because Flower invited me over to her house-wagon thingy late tonight, like 11 or so. She told me to make sure you came too."  
She looked hesitant.

"Why?"

"I have no clue..."

Noelle looked a little worried. I realized it would be dark out and she would be with her boyfriend that she does not know very well.

"…and trust me…if Erik tries anything, I'll protect you. Even though I don't like you very much…" I added jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hey!" She hit me hard, and I pretended to wince in pain although it didn't really hurt. We both started laughing.

"You don't think...they know, do you?"

"About what?" I had no clue what she was meant. She gave me a look and I understood. "Oh! You mean about me and you. Well, how could they?"

"I don't know, it's just weird that they want us to come at 11 pm."

"Mmm, yeah, I guess so." _I'm a shapeshifter who is dating a witch. You expect me to still find things "weird?" _

There was an awkward silence, so I decided to break it.

"So, mind showing me some of your moves?"

She gave me a look. "I mean soccer moves. _Duh."_

"You play?"

"Yup. _Please_, I'm good at everything."

She laughed confidently,

"I could beat you any day."

We ended up playing 'world cup,' where two people have to shoot in the same net, but which ever one gets it first wins.

I have to say, she was pretty good, but obviously, I won.

After I scored the last and final winning goal, I did a victory lap around the big backyard..

She sat in the middle of the lawn, with her hands on her hips.

"I won! I won!" I shouted.

She rolled her eyes.

"No duh you won! You have powers!"

"Oh come on, you know I could have beaten you even if I didn't have enhanced abilities!" I was getting closer to her now.

"I doubt that," She smiled, "Okay, if you're done showing off your non-talent-powers, then I have to bring this goal back into the garage."

"Wait, you can carry that by yourself?"

"Umm, I drag it. And don't sound so surprised, I'm not as girly as I seem. Especially compared to you, Mr. 'I'm-in-touch-with-my-feminine-side'-BlackHawk. "

You know, Insulting-Noelle was actually really fun. It was mean, but playful.

"So show me. Bring it into the garage," I challenged her.

"Um, _no_, **you** can bring it into the garage, now that you've been making fun of me," she smiled. Then her face changed so that she looked like she had an idea, "Let's see how fast you can pick up the net, bring it to the garage, and run back to me."

I smirked,

"No biggie," I stuck out my tongue. I lifted the net on to my shoulders, sprinted to the garage, dropped it and ran back to tag Noelle on her shoulder.

"Pretty good, but I was expecting better since you have superpowers," She shrugged.

"Uh-huh. Whatever, Noelle. I would have done better if I had been in my wolf form. I'm faster when I'm furry."

She rolled her eyes,

"I bet I could've beaten you in a race when you weren't a werewolf. I was the fastest on my team. I would always have the breakaways, and sprint up the field, and then score a goal..."

She looked like she was daydreaming. I could tell she really missed playing soccer.

"You know, if you ever want to play soccer, I know where some fields are. And, if you ever need someone to play with...I'm always available."

She laughed.

"Yeah, but I'd never have a fair opponent. You are a werewolf, and so is Dee. I used to play soccer with her a lot. But...yeah, that might actually be fun…"

"Cool...so, I have to go...but don't forget about tonight," I reminded her, examining how relaxed she looked in her sweats and tank-top. "Do you want me to come over at 10:50 so I can walk you there so you don't get scared in the pitch-dark all by yourself?" I said in a teasing voice.

"I think I can handle it by myself..." Noelle insisted. Then she changed her mind, "But now that you mention it...sure. You never know what creatures are out there."

_Just wait until Erik tells you he's a witch!_

"Alrighty, see ya later, then!" I said, walking towards the woods.

"Bye!" She called, grabbing her sweatshirt off the ground and heading towards the house.

You know, this was almost a better relationship than the one we had had when we were dating. It was actually really fun to just hang out with Noelle. No pressure, no mushy stuff, just pure, totally chill, fun…

Analiese's POV

"Thank you for coming on this walk with me," Erik whispered to me as we approached my house again. We stopped under a tree so we wouldn't get rained on as much.

"No problem. I mean, I had to walk Stacy anyway, so..." I bent down to pet my dog.

"It's really nice to get away from Flower now and then, and to talk to someone more logical."

I laughed,

"Well, you certainly do have some problems to work out."

"Your listening ear was most helpful."

"I like it when someone finally lets me in to the loop."

Erik ran a hand through his hair,

"So you really think I should tell Noelle that I'm a witch? It won't be too much for her to handle?"

"I handled it just fine," I pointed out.

"Yes, but, Noelle seems less rational than you."

I laughed, Erik was too nice to me.

"She'll be fine."

"There you are." Erik and I turned towards the husky voice. Taylor was standing a few feet in the woods.

"Taylor? Were you looking for me?" I asked, confused on why he sounded upset.

"Yes. I've _been_ looking for you, since yesterday."

"I was at home all of yesterday," I told him, "Why didn't you look there?"

"Something came up." His eyes fixed on Erik after he spoke.

"So you're Noelle's boyfriend, huh?"

"Yes," Erik nodded, politely extending his hand for shaking. Taylor shook his head,

"I don't want to be friends. I want you to leave Ani alone."

"He's not bothering me, we're friends," I interjected.

Erik nodded in agreement with me.

"Josh told me he's been flirting with you," Taylor insisted. I blushed. So did Erik.

"I had no intention of stealing her from you," Erik assured Taylor, "I'm sorry. I have to go now anyway."

"Bye," I said to him.

"Bye," he smiled, leaving. Taylor took a deep breath.

"Sorry. I guess Josh made him sound worse than he is."

"Don't ever listen to Josh."


	68. This Girl From Here

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 68: "This Girl from Here"

**Noelle's POV**

I felt exhausted as I woke up at 9 in the morning.

_Why am I so tired? _

I sat up, seeing that Aria was still asleep.

I felt like I had had a dream- a very detailed dream. Closing my eyes, I tried to remember it.

_A warm face close to mine, soft lips pressing on mine, Josh's arms wrapping around me_…

WAIT-_JOSH!_

My heart started thumping loudly inside my chest. My ears filled with the sound of it.

_What kind of dream did I have?_

I tossed the covers off of my legs and stuck my right leg out, poking Aria's side with my foot. My older sister started to wake up.

"Stop," she whined.

"I had a bad dream," I told her. _Aria's older. She must know what to do with this kind of stuff…_

"A big, scary monster try to eat you?" She teased, yawning.

"No, a _bad_ dream…" I tried to explain. Aria turned over to face me, raising her eyebrows at me. Then she smirked.

"Oh _reeeallllyyy_? About you and _Erik_?"

I rolled my eyes and then whispered quietly,

"Josh."

Aria's eyes popped out and she started laughing hysterically.

"Come on! This is serious! Ugh, I never should have told you!" I covered my face with my hands, then let them fall hopelessly back down to my bed sheets.

Aria quit laughing and (with a smile still on her face) said,

"Don't worry about it. You can't control your dreams."

"…But like, that doesn't _mean_ anything, does it? Like, the fact that I dreamed about kissing Josh doesn't mean that I actually want to…"

"It means you might have thought about it before you went to sleep. Did you?" My older sister inquired, slipping out of bed and starting towards the stairs.

"Of course not! I wouldn't do that!"

"Then that's weird that you dreamt about him," Aria told me, "I hope Erik doesn't mind."

"You say that like I'm going to tell him," I rolled my eyes, "It was just a dream; not like I really cheated on him."

"Yeah but if it's a reflection of your true inner desires then it could mean that you just haven't cheated on Erik _yet_." I gave Aria a sour look but she continued teasing: "There's still time. 'Little Noelley, the cheater,' never thought I'd see the day!"

"I'm not a cheater! I've never cheated on anything in my whole life! Geeze, Aria, you're the one who is spending time CJ at our house instead of hanging out with your boyfriend, Embry!"

"Yeah but, it's not like I'm having dirty dreams about CJ." Aria's sentence ended with a giggle, the kind of giggle that is giggled when you lie.

"WHAT? You've had a dream about CJ?" I was excited now- this was juicy gossip.

"No!" Aria's reply was totally unconvincing.

"Tell me everything!" I jumped out of bed and she ran up the stairs to get away from me. She locked herself in the bathroom and I started banging on the door, "C'mon! I admitted to my dream!"

CJ's POV

"Josh? Josh? Hello?" I was waving my hand in front of the face of the stupid kid but he continued staring off into space, lying on his belly, chin in hand, legs kicking back and forth in the air behind him.

"Maybe he's on drugs," Theresa suggested

"Would those even work on us?" I wondered, lightly kicking Josh in the side. Still no sign of conscious life.

"Let's ask Kelsey to help, I'm sure she knows some trick that would annoy him enough-" Theresa didn't have to finish her sentence; Josh was suddenly willing to talk.

"I'm trying to remain in my dream."

"What dream?" I asked.

"You're awake," Theresa stated.

"You ever have a really, really, _really_ good dream and then you wake up and all you want to do is fall back asleep and continue the dream?"

"No," Theresa could care less about what Josh was saying, "But I do know what it's like to be all out of toothpaste and want to know where the BlackHawks store their supply."

"In the closet in the hallway, third shelf down," Josh replied.

"Thanks," Theresa left.

"So anyway, I was having this really awesome, sweet, amazing, beautiful, lovely dream and I'm trying to remember all of it."

"Oh yeah, I know what that's like," I told him, "But I don't have dreams very often. I've only had one good one since we got here, but it was so good that I never wanted to wake up from it."

Josh looked curious,

"What was it about?"

I shifted uncomfortably,

"Nothing. Just, good stuff."

"Like?"

I sighed,

"Like a girl."

"From Spain?"

"No. From here."

"Who?"  
"What was _your_ dream about?" I asked him.

"A girl from here…" Josh answered, "But it wasn't like most dreams, I remember it feeling _so_ real…"

Analiese's POV

The pancakes were especially good this morning. Probably because I had made them. Mom and Dad always make them too big and cook them for too long, Aria always under cooks hers, Deanna makes them too small, Noelle does a pretty good job but they still aren't as tasty as mine.

I was eating with Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen. Stacy was sitting next to me, patiently waiting for me to accidently drop a morsel for her to gobble up.

"You already ate," I reminded the puppy. She barked, clearly in disagreement.

I looked up as I heard someone pulling out a chair and joining us. It was Deanna. She had a box of tissues in her hand and dark, deep bags under her eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, worried that she had been crying.

"I'm sick," she said, her voice hoarse. She held a tissue up to her mouth as she coughed.

Downstairs I heard banging on the bathroom door. Noelle was shouting at Aria about something.

"Have you been sneezing?" I asked Deanna. She shook her head,

"No, the tissues are just so I don't spread the germs from my coughing. I'm confused because I thought the pack couldn't get sick."

"You should tell Dad, I'm sure he could figure out what you have."

"Yeah."

Just then, Noelle gave up on whatever she was doing with Aria and marched upstairs. She went into the kitchen and opened the pantry, taking out a box of cereal. Then she coughed.

Deanna and I exchanged looks,

"Noelle, are you sick?"

"Just a cough," she shrugged.

"Is that all you have, Deanna?" I asked.

"Cough, headache, sore throat, chills…"

Noelle heard her,

"Oh hey, I have those too!" She sounded as if we were talking about pairs of shoes or something else lighthearted.

She started coughing again. And then Deanna was too. I moved my plate a little further away from them.

_Whatever they have, I definitely don't want it._

"Well, I feel fine!" Elise announced.

"I feel even better!" Kathleen chimed in.

"Yeah, don't get me sick. I want to look good for my concert," Tasha said.

"What concert?" I asked her.

"Mom and Dad are letting me put on a singing show here in a few days. They are inviting some of our neighbors and friends."

Dad came into the dining room,

"What is all of this coughing about?"

"Deanna and Noelle are sick," Kathleen told him.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm really worried because I feel awful and I thought I was too hot to get sick," Deanna explained.

Noelle rolled her eyes,

"_Pleaseee_, Deanna, if one of us is too hot to get sick, it's going to be _me_."

"Uh, I think that's the wrong kind of hot, Noelle," Elise told her.

Tasha and the little twins laughed.

Dad looked confused,

"Interesting. Well, I think I should run some tests to find out what you have immediately. I don't have the proper equipment for this though…I'm sure Dr. Cullen would be able to tell you if you have strep or the flu."

"Should I be tested too? You know, incase Deanna's blood is too freaky to work with tests or something?" Noelle asked.

"You act as if I'm not human," Deanna narrowed her eyes at Noelle.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot 'wolf' and 'human' are really like synonyms," Noelle replied sarcastically.

"Noelle, stop it," Dad warned, "Both of you get dressed and we will go to the Cullens' in a few minutes."

Deanna walked upstairs to her room as Noelle walked downstairs to hers.

Dad looked at me,

"Was it just me, or were you also surprised that Noelle knew the word 'synonyms?'"

Deanna's POV

The Cullens' house was bright as usual, despite the fact that at our house the dark rain clouds were lurking.

Dr. Cullen sat in front of Noelle and I.

"Well, your Strep tests came back negative, and neither have you have runny noses so I'm going to have to do some blood work."

"There's another visitor at the door, Carlisle," Edward said.

"I'll go let them in," Nessie skipped over to the front door. Soon Josh was in the room with us.

"Carlisle! You have to-" COUGH "Help me! I'm-" COUGH,COUGH "Really sick!" Upon finishing his sentence, Josh collapsed on the couch next to Noelle.

"Well, now I'm worried that the whole pack has it!" Dad exclaimed.

Carlisle froze for a moment, contemplating things.

"No one panic yet, I have a pretty good hunch that this isn't something that spreads too easily. Let me do blood work on all three of you. Until I get the results, how about you all stay here so that way the illness is contained?"

"I agree- I don't want anymore of the pack to get sick," Dad said.

Noelle looked uncomfortable,

"Stay here? Like, in a guest room."

"Exactly. There is plenty of room for the three of you."

"It be like a sleepover!" Nessie squealed, smiling at me.

"Carlisle, what is it exactly that you think we have?" I asked.

"Well, based on your symptoms and knowing that it isn't Strep and that it isn't exclusive to the shapeshifters, since Noelle has it too… I believe it is Mono."

"Mono? As in _the kissing disease_?" Noelle asked, surprised.

Nessie and I exchanged looks.

_Josh and Noelle both have Mono…interesting…_

Carlisle nodded,

"Yes."

"That doesn't make sense! We haven't been kissing each other!" Noelle was upset.

"Well, you can get it from sharing drinks, too."

I thought. Yes, I _had_ stolen a few sips of Noelle's water the other day.

"But I have NOT shared _anything_ with Josh!"

"Then you must have kissed him," I teased her. Both Josh's and Noelle's faces turned red.

"We haven't," Josh insisted.

"Suuuuree," Nessie teased.

"If it _is_ Mono, you must have shared spit _somehow_," I pointed out.

Noelle crossed her arms. Josh awkwardly avoided eye contact with her.

This was going to be interesting.

**Author's Note: Heyyyy. I know it's been about a million ages but here is a new chapter! I hope you enjoyed it and please review so I can know if you liked it or not. Thank you. –Ria M. Write**


	69. These Two Are Mine You Leave

_7-Eleven _

Chapter 69: "These two are mine- you leave."

Aria's POV

"What do you think about these?" I held up the rubber boots for Ani to see.

"Ooh, I like the floral pattern."

The bright lights of the mall were misleading. Outside, some cold air and a sky dark with clouds were waiting for us.

I took my purse off my shoulder and dug around for my credit card.

"Okay, let's go check out."

We walked over to the cash register and the cashier watched as the two of us awkwardly piled seven magenta rain coats and seven pairs of differently patterned rain boots on to the counter.

I avoided eye contact with her as she started to scan the price tags. Fourteen 'beeps' later, and I was handing her the credit card.

"Wow, that's a lot of pink coats!" exclaimed another girl approaching the counter. She looked at us and smiled. I realized she knew us.

_Theresa._

"You know, I don't remember the seven dwarfs wearing rain coats. Maybe you should buy some pick axes instead. You know, mine some jems."

Ani and I laughed nervously at her not-at-all-funny 'joke.'

"Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go!" She finished the tune with some whistling.

Ani and I exchanged looks.

"Um, how's CJ?" I asked, trying to change the subject. She tilted her head to the side, looking at me strangely, as if she was thinking about something.

"CJ is fine. It's really hard to sleep next to him though. I wake up to him snoring all the time," she laughed.

I blinked. Her words made me picture her and CJ lying in a bed together every night. And that image made my stomach kind of sick. Kind of really sick.

Ani raised her eyebrows,

"That sounds…fun."

"I'm sure Aria thinks so," she smiled, "Hey, I've been meaning to ask, how's Embry doing?"

I swallowed,

"Oh, good…"

"Good. I haven't hung out with him in awhile. We should all get together some time. Wouldn't that be fun?"

I laughed awkwardly,

"Surree."

_What the hell? Theresa, CJ, Embry and I 'hanging out' ? Why would she want that?_

"Sign the receipt please." The cashier interrupted our conversation (thank goodness) and I quickly scribbled something that roughly resembled my name in script. Ani and I grabbed the bags and waved 'bye' to Theresa who watched every step we took as we left.

Analiese's POV

"That was really weird." I put the huge bag I was carrying into the car as Aria did the same with her bag.

"Why was she acting like that? She kept making comments about CJ and I," Aria got in the car and I followed.

"And what was that about her hanging out with Embry? I didn't think that they hung out…"

"They don't! At least, Embry never told me that they do. I don't think they even talk."

"It sounds like she likes him."

"Ugh. Maybe she does," Aria rolled her eyes.

I rubbed my arm. The vampire-pale patches were very cold and it was making me chilly.

"Aria…you know, maybe you _should_ hang out together."

Aria had started the car and was pulling out of the parking lot,

"Are you crazy? You mean, Embry, Theresa, CJ, and I? That would be like…a bomb about to explode."

"But…you want to be friends with CJ and Embry doesn't like that, so if maybe Theresa and Embry become friends than you can be with CJ…"

Aria sighed,

"I'm not sure if I want her to get Embry. She's mean and annoying."

"Yeah but Embry's mean to you so they deserve each other!" I pointed out.

"Yeah but if she gets Embry then she wins and I'm alone."

"No, you can have CJ."

Aria didn't respond for a minute. Then finally,

"Well…but I haven't broken up with Embry."

"You should."

"Don't tell me what to do. Ugh."

Deanna's POV

Soft sheets were covering me. A comfy pillow was under my head. I opened my eyes to see a box of tissues to my side. The bed was big: a king-or-a-queen sized one.

"Mom?" I tried to call, but my throat was very sore. _Oh, that's right- I'm sick._ My voice sounded broken as I called her.

"Yes?"

Whoever responded wasn't my mom. I recognized it to be a man's voice that was _pretending_ to sound like a woman.

I sat up and saw a guy in a bed across the room. The bed didn't look like it belonged there. It didn't match the rest of the room and it was placed up against a desk.

_Woah- where am I?_

At first I thought I was in some weird dream. But something seemed oddly familiar about the room. I recognized it, but I couldn't figure out why.

The guy in the bed wasn't wearing a shirt, but I wasn't shocked by this. In fact, his bare chest also looked familiar for some reason.

"Who are you?" I asked. The guy was smiling, amused at himself for pretending to be my mom.

He laughed at my question,

"Oh, you know, Mrs. Jennifer Brentwood."

"What the hell?"

He realized I wasn't joking around and he bit his lip,

"Dee, are you okay?"

"Yeah, but….um, who are you?" I was worried now.

"Josh…you know, you're friend and fellow furry creature."

"Furry creature? You don't even have a single hair on your chest! What are you talking about? Where are we? Where's my mother?"

I heard someone coughing down the hallway and Noelle entered the room.

"Noelle, I think something's wrong with your sister," 'Josh' told her.

Noelle turned to me and coughed again, blinking as she examined me.

"She looks fine to me," she shrugged and walked over to Josh, handing him a glass of water.

"Do you know who Noelle is?" Josh asked me, ignoring the water.

I nodded,

"Noelle's my sister."

"Dude, I just went all the way-" *cough, cough* "Down those stairs and had to find which cabinet they keep the glasses in-" *cough, cough…cough* "And fill this thing up with water so you _better_ drink it. Now." Noelle pushed the glass closer to Josh's face. Josh coughed and took the glass from her.

"But she doesn't remember who I am, or, er, the _furry thing_," Josh told my little sister, "It's just like when you were in the car accident and you forgot who I was!"

Noelle rolled her eyes,

"Deanna, stop goofying around, you're scaring Josh."

_Ok, why is my sister standing so close to a guy that is so much older than her? He looks like he could be twenty!_ I was creeped out by what was going on between them. He was a stranger and she should get away.

Noelle looked worried when I didn't respond.

"Deanna…?"

"Noelle, where are we?"

"Why is it always _me_ that people forget? I'm pretty sure that I'm the most remember-able person out of all of us!" Josh complained.

"Deanna, do you know who Ani is?" Noelle asked.

"Yes." _Ani is my twin sister._

"How about Taylor?"

"..No… Oh wait, isn't she a girl we used to play soccer with?"

"THANK GOD, it's not just me she forgot about! YES!" The creepy shirtless guy leaped with joy.

"So, you have no idea where we are?" Noelle asked.

"Um…in a house?"

"Whose house?"

"...Josh's house?" I was guessing now.

"I'll go get Carlisle," Noelle announced, running out of the room.

"Maybe you should get that little Nessie girl too, she'll want to know about how her best friend forgot her," the shirtless guy shouted after her.

The room grew silent. Josh and I looked at each other across the room, sitting in our beds.

"…Soooo, I know you don't remember this, but I'm actually you're favorite person in the whole world and I can turn into a wolf. And I can run really fast and hear and see really well. Oh and I can fly. My wings grow right out of my back, right here next to my shoulder blades and-"

"Deanna? How are you feeling?" A man with very pale skin and yellow eyes was in front of me now, cutting off Josh.

I saw Noelle send Josh a dirty look,

"Don't confuse her," she hissed. Josh just shrugged.

"Um, I'm fine…" I told the man.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked me. I shook my head.

"I'm a doctor. My name is Carlisle."

He proceeded to ask me about a million questions. Most of them were asking if I remembered people, and a bunch of the names he asked about were boy names.

"Do you know Brady Rose?"

"No."

"Do you know Embry Call?"

"That's a real name? No."

"Do you know Jacob Black?"

"No."

"Do you know Seth Clearwater?"

"No."

He paused. Behind him Josh was frowning,

"That's so sad…"

"Why? Who is he?" I asked Carlisle.

"Do you know anything about phasing?" Carlisle asked me.

"No."

"…Josh, I do not believe she will be shapeshifting anytime soon…"

"Oh no. That's not good. Carlisle, Seth's in Italy right now and he can't talk to her unless she phases and if he isn't able to talk to her he definitely won't be able to focus on his mission not to mention that he would become so depressed and I-I don't know…die!"

"I suspect this is caused by the illness. Mono must somehow affect shapeshifters worse than it affects humans. Josh, you might lose some of your memory, too. Let's just hope she doesn't forget anything else. I'm going to get Jacob." Carlisle left the room. Josh looked frightened,

"Me? Lose my memory?"

Noelle examined him,

"That would be funny."

I wasn't sure what they were all saying about me "phasing," but I knew it must be a code for something else.

CJ's POV

"I want to do something today."

Her voice was so close to my face. And then her hand was sliding down my jaw line.

And then again with her voice so close to my face,

"We never do anything, it would be fun."

And then her fingers were in my eye sockets, pulling open my eyelids.

"Oh my goooodddd," I turned over on the couch so I would be lying on my stomach, "Where did you leave your sanity?"

This didn't stop her. Her hands were on my feet, pulling my legs off the couch. I mean, she didn't accomplish very much. I'm too much heavier than her.

"_Please_, Carlos Joham, _pleas_e."

I flipped over so I was on my back again, almost kicking her in the face in the process.

"WHAT do you want to do, Theresa?"

"I want to go for a walk."

"It's raining outside. No."

"Okayyy, then maybe we could go over someone's house? Maybe watch a movie with some friends?"

"Who?"

"Well, you know that guy, Embry?"

I rolled my eyes,

"Yes."

"Him and his girlfriend invited us on a little double date at her house."

"I'm not dating you. It would not be a double date."

"That's just what it's _called_. C'mon, I _know_ you want to go. We can sit in her living room and watch a movie."

"I don't think she even has a TV in her living room."

Theresa rolled her eyes,

"In her basement then."  
"Well, actually, the _basement_ is her bedroom that she shares with her little sister and her TV is in the playroom."

Theresa narrows her eyes at me,  
"Why do you know all this?"

I pulled myself off the couch, still a little groggy from my nap but happy to go visit Aria.

"Okay, let's go."

"I'll meet you in the car. I just have to call Embry first and tell him and Aria that we are having a double date."

"Wait- I thought you said they invited us?"

"I never said that!"

"Yes- you just did! Oh my god, Theresa!"

"Just go start the car and I'll be right out."

Noelle's POV

"I want to go home," Deanna said to me. Jacob and Nessie had been talking with her for about an hour, and it hadn't helped any. Jacob finally decided to just wait it out. Carlisle was sure she would get her memory back once she was feeling better.

"Alright. I mean, you only have Mono so I guess we can go be sick at home too." I got our medicine from Carlisle (who agreed to us leaving only because he thought Deanna would get her memories back faster if she was in a more familiar environment) and thanked the Cullens for letting us borrow their guest room. Before I left Edward stopped me and whispered,

"Don't let her do anything that she will regret when she gets her memory back."

I wasn't sure what he meant by that. Deanna did more risky things as a shapeshifter than she did when she was just good ol' human. I really wasn't worried about her doing anything 'she'd regret.' I smiled,

"No problem," I told him. But he gave me a frown. Then I remembered he can hear my thoughts and he knows I wasn't really planning on having to keep a close eye on her.

"Really. She's…Just watch out."

"Okay, I will," this time I was serious.

Aria's POV

"Oh hey guys. Ew, why are you coughing so much?" Elise was speaking to Deanna and Noelle as they both hurried down to the basement.

"Don't talk to us, we're sick!" Noelle warned, "We have Mono! Aria, we're both gonna share the basement for now so you can share a room with Ani until we aren't sick anymore."

"Kay just don't cough on all my stuff."

Kathleen laughed,

"Noelle's voice sounds funny from her being all sicky."

"Hey Ani, did you hear that? You and I are sharing a room for now."

Ani was in the kitchen.

"Good. At least you don't sneak Seth into your bed every night."

Noelle came back upstairs,

"Oh yeah. So, um, guys, the Mono is making Deanna forget that she is a shapeshifter and she also forgot all about the Cullens and the pack sooo just if she's acting different, that's why. But don't worry because Carlisle says she'll remember things once she's done being sick." Noelle went back downstairs. Ani, who had come out of the kitchen, looked at me and remarked sarcastically,

"Right. Because that makes perfect sense. I always lose my memory when I get Mono."

"Me too, must be genetic."

"Our family's weird."

The door bell rang. I got up to answer it but before I could Embry was in my house.

"Why did you agree to hang out with them?" He asked me.

"Hang out with who?" _What are you talking about and wow you're wearing a shirt, what's the special occasion?_

"CJ and Theresa."

I titled my head,

"I did not agree to hang out with CJ and Theresa."

"Oh. Theresa said that you did."

"Theresa must have lied or be clinically confused."

"Well, they are on their way here right now," Embry told me, "They are planning to watch a movie with us. What movies do you have?"

I was going to ask why he was to eager to spend time with me all of a sudden, but I realized that I wanted to hang out with CJ and arguing with Embry would not help with that. He followed me downstairs to the playroom where I opened a cabinet full of videos and DVDs.

"Let's see, we try to alphabetize these but it never really works. We have so many. Um, 'The Land Before Time,' 'The Brave Little Toaster,' 'Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses,' 'Willow,' 'The Little Mermaid,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'The Secret Garden,' 'Tangled,' 'Flubber,' 'Up,' 'The Lion King,'-"

"Anything for an age group older than seven?"

"What? These are good movies!"

"Most of them require a VCR!"

"We have one. What's the big deal? Geeze. Oh and we have all of the Star Wars movies and even the two about the little furry creatures that think C3-PO is a god in episode-"

"Aria, you need some better movies. What do your parents watch? Where do they keep their movies?"

"Ugh, fine." We walked upstairs to my parents' bedroom and found the stack of DVDs that they have.

"Here, this one looks fine," Embry picked the one on top.

"'The Blind Side'? Yeah, that one's good…Ewoks."

"What?"

"The furry teddy bear creatures, I just remembered what they are called."

"Aria! CJ and a girl are here!" Tasha shouted from the living room.

"You start the movie, I'll get the door," Embry told me. I rolled my eyes.

Thanks so much for bossing me around. I really needed to be told what to do.

I went into the playroom and turned on the TV and DVD player.

"Hola." CJ was behind me all of a sudden. I turned to look. Theresa and Embry were still upstairs.

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Good. You?"

"Good," I smiled. "Hey, have you ever seen Star Wars?"

"No."

"Really? We totally have to watch them together some time."

"Okay, sure."

Then came the time when Embry, me, CJ, and Theresa sat (in that order) on the futon together. The movie started and the lights were turned off. I was squished between two very big teenage boys.

I could hear Theresa making comments about the movie all through the first five minutes. CJ kept asking her to stop talking.

"Seriously, Theresa, you're ruining the movie."

"Okay, fine, I'll go sit somewhere else so I don't bother you," she told him, sounded a little too happy to leave. She got up, walked in front of all of us, and stood next to Embry,

"Hey, CJ kicked me out and a need a place to sit," she said to him, leaning over so there was quite a view for Embry. I would have been angry if it wasn't for the fact that I didn't care. Embry was about to scoot over for her to sit next to him but CJ quickly put his legs up next to him so that there was no room left on the futon.

Embry and Theresa looked over at him and he pretended to be watching the movie intently.

I giggled.

Theresa turned around (and much to Embry's surprise) sat on Embry's lap. She stuck her tongue out to CJ who probably didn't even see her.

Embry laughed and wrapped his arms around her so she wouldn't fall off.

"What's wrong, CJ? Can't even look at a little competition?" Embry asked. In a second I wasn't touching the futon anymore. In another I was on CJ's lap.

"Uhhh!" I panicked but CJ held on to me tighter.

"It's okay," he whispered reassuringly. I couldn't move.

"Fine, you can _have_ her," Embry told him.

"Good cuz _*I* want_ her," CJ told him, pressing his cheek to the back of my head in sort of hug.

_Oh my gosh this is so embarrassing_ I thought as Theresa winked at me.

"We both got what we wanted," she mouthed to me. I swallowed hard.

"You really want her? We can trade," Embry said to CJ. CJ froze for a second, then, with one hand, reached out a grabbed Theresa, pulling her off of Embry's lap and on to the futon next to him.

"These two are mine- you leave," he waved his hand dismissively at Embry.

"You can't have two girlfriends," I mumbled, upset now.

"I don't want two girlfriends," he said to me, "I just don't want him to have _anyone_, especially not one of my friends."

I watched Theresa, expecting her to be upset that CJ was keeping her away from Embry. However she seemed to be enjoying the attention.

Embry looked at me,

"Aria, you went behind my back and got close to this guy while still dating me. I hope you feel guilty about at least that."

I would have said something but I couldn't form the sentence fast enough. Embry stood up.

"We need to call a truce. You're part of the pack and although I don't like you, Jacob will expect us to at least be at peace with one another."

"Fine," CJ said, "But I need to talk to Aria alone first."

Embry shrugged,

"Go right ahead." They might be using nice words, but they had looks that could kill. CJ let go of me and I stood up off of his lap. I led him into the bathroom and shut the door behind us.

Embry's POV

I know that Theresa's attracted to me. And I'm not going to lie, she's really hot. But she's so forward that it makes me feel uncomfortable sometimes. Even so, I want to be with her especially since CJ doesn't want me to be. He stole my girlfriend so I'll take his friend. Am I using Theresa? Yes. But will she like it? Yes.

So really, how wrong could it be?

With Aria and CJ in the bathroom, Theresa and I were alone in the dark playroom on a soft futon. I didn't know how long they were going to leave us alone, but I didn't want to waste anytime just incase.

Apparently neither did Theresa.

She patted the spot next to her, wanting me to sit down again. I complied.

We sat there looking at each other for just a second, then I wrapped my arm around her waist.

"You're really very good looking," she breathed. I moved my head closer to hers,

"So are you," I said.

She closed the space between our faces and her lips were so soft that I couldn't let her pull away. Instead I lowered her down so she was on her back and decided to keep kissing her like that until someone made me stop.

Author's Note: Please be sure to review! Thanks! –Ria M. Write


	70. I Have a Present for You

_**Author's Note: **_**Wow. 70 chapters? This story is loonngggg. But I suppose it has to be with so many characters to write about :) Thanks for being such a dedicated reader! You rock and I am beyond grateful. I hope you enjoy this 70****th**** chapter of **_**7-Eleven**_**. **

_7-Eleven_

Chapter 70: "I Have a Present for You"

**Josh's POV**

I knocked on the door of the Brentwood house. Elise answered, her straight, blonde hair bouncing behind her as she led me down the stairs near the playroom.

"Josh, look!" She exclaimed, pointing towards the futon. I sighed at what we were seeing,

"Seriously, guys? This place is crawling with kids!"

Embry took his time getting off of Theresa.

Elise giggled and whispered to me,

"They are going to get in trouble!"

I decided to cover Elise's eyes. She protested and spent the next whole minute trying to pry my hands away.

"What's going on?" Kathleen was next to me now, too. At least Embry and Theresa had removed their tongues from each other's throats. I let go of Elise and she stomped on my foot. It did nothing, but her point was still made.

"They were kissing!" She told her curly-haired twin sister.

"Who were? Aw, I missed it?" Tasha, now also downstairs, seemed truly disappointed.

"It was disgusting, consider yourself lucky," I said to the girl.

"What's going on?" Ani joined us, "Oh. Hello strange people in my house." She waved to Theresa and Embry. She had her iPod in her ears so probably hadn't heard them come in earlier.

"Kiss again so we can see!" Tasha said to Embry and Theresa.

"Aren't you Aria's boyfriend?" Elise asked.

"No, I think she's dating CJ," Kathleen informed her.

"No, I'm pretty sure Embry's her boyfriend," Ani told them.

"It doesn't matter! Kiss! Kiss!" Tasha was jumping up and down.

"Ok, new game. I'm going to catch all of you and make you kiss _me_ in five, four, three, two-" I didn't need to finish counting. Elise, Kathleen, and Tasha all shouted "Ew! But you have cooties!" and ran off, giggling, to hide. Ani sent me an awkward look and walked quickly back upstairs.

"Actually, I have _Mono_, not cooties! Then again, I probably have cooties too!" I shouted after them.

I wasn't serious, of course. But I knew it would take quite a threat to get them to leave the ever-so-interesting Theresa and Embry.

"Isn't that, like, rape?" Theresa asked me. Embry chuckled.

I rolled my eyes,

"No. Geeze. Now no more kissing in front of underage audiences."

I could hear CJ and Aria in the bathroom, so I figured it was probably unnecessary to tell her that Embry was liplocking with my long-term house guest. And it also means that Embry must know about CJ and Aria. _Which makes my life about a million times easier._ So, by all means, Theresa and Embry may kiss. Just not in front of small, easily impressionable Brentwood girls.

I turned away from the new couple and opened the door to the basement.

"We're contagious! Don't come down here!" Noelle warned me.

"It's just me," I told her. I walked down the steps and made eye contact with Dee,

"Not that _you_ remember who that is, of course."

"Carlisle let you leave?" Noelle seemed surprised.

"He told me not to share any drinks and not to kiss anyone. I told him the last part was going to be difficult because girls practically attack me every time I walk outside. Anyway, I'm supposed to stay with you two. But then again, I'm kind of hard to tie down in one place…you know, with my wings that grow out of back and everything…" I winked at Dee. She raised an eyebrow.

**Aria's POV**

"What were you doing out there? I never agreed to sit on your lap." I spoke harshly to CJ, hitting his chest with annoyance.

"Yes you did," he insisted, ignoring my hit.

"When?" I snapped.

"When you didn't ask to get off!"

"Ugh. You're unbelievable. Why did you want to talk to me alone?"

"Well it's not really alone with you shouting at me, Embry can hear us enough as it is," he said, bringing his voice down to a whisper.

"Fine," I whispered back, "Now what?"

"I want to make a truce with him but only if it's worth it in the first place."

"What do you mean?"

"I…" he hesitated, "I don't have to stay here, you know. I can go somewhere else and live on my own again. It's been a little more difficult becoming part of this pack than was expected for me. And if I really don't have any good reason to stay, it might just be better if I move along."

"What are you saying?" I asked.

"I'm saying: Will you be my girlfriend?" His tone went softer and his eyes began trying to read mine.

"Oh. Um. Whether you stay or not depends on if I'm your girlfriend?" I tried to understand.  
"It changes how hard I try to be part of the pack. If you don't like me as much as I like you, than maybe trying to work things out with Embry is pointless anyway."

"I _do_ like you, CJ," I admitted in a mumble.

"Then come on," he took a step close to me, "Please."

His eyes searched mine. I looked down at my feet,

"I…I don't know about this…"

"You like me, though?" he asked, his face leaning closer to mine.

"Yes," I looked back up at him. "I only feel bad about how this all happened, with me still with Embry for so long. I feel like I cheated."

"He's out there kissing a girl I share a room with! _He_ is the one who is playing dirty, not you," CJ insisted. "I think you're very sweet, Aria. And you are smart, and funny, and I can't stop thinking about you. I'm sorry that the imprinting thing confused things between you and Embry, but that wasn't your fault. And, I don't think I can imprint, but if I could, I _know_ it would be on you."

I rolled my eyes and laughed at his boldness,

"That's not something you can know."

"Well, if there is a vampire equivalent, then maybe that's what I feel. I just know that I want to be with you, no matter what."

"You're so silly," I leaned up and kissed him. I meant for it to only be a quick kiss, because he was being cute, but he wrapped his arms around my back and held me there, kissing me back. We broke apart and he hugged me tightly,

"Thank you." I could tell by his voice that he was beaming with happiness, "I promise I won't let you down. Ever."

I blushed and hugged him back,

"We shall see, cocky."

Not letting go of me, and still sounding like he was euphoric, he announced,

"Josh is here."

I rolled my eyes. _Josh always needs to be at the center of attention._

"Is he?"

"Yeah. I guess I'll go make that truce now." CJ smiled at me and winked. I patted him on the back,

"Calm down, lover boy. I just kissed you, I didn't agree to marry you."

"Oh, you will." He opened the door.

I rolled my eyes.

We went to the playroom where Theresa and Embry were sitting on the futon looking slightly more disheveled than when we left them.

"Ready?" Embry asked.

CJ smiled,

"No worries, it's all good. Truce accepted. I hope you and Theresa are happy together."

_Wow, one kiss sure did cheer him up._

Embry blinked, surprised at how easy it was. Then he and Theresa stood up.

"Thanks," Embry said to CJ. Then he looked at me,

"Sorry for what I…" but he trailed off and shook his head, "…You know. For everything that happened. I don't know what got into me."

I was shocked that he sounded so sorry for hurting me all of a sudden, but I smiled and said,

"Let's be friends."

He smiled back,  
"For sure."

Embry seemed better all of a sudden, happier, healthier. Whatever it was that was wrong with him before seemed to magically lift off of his shoulders. I wondered if it had anything to do with the mis-imprinting. In fact, I was sure that it did. Somehow, by setting things right, he no longer suffered the confusion and depression that surrounded a mis-imprinting. That's my theory, at least.

**Noelle's POV**

It was awkward. Deanna, Josh, and I…just sitting in the basement/my bedroom…silently.

_*Ding-dong*_

I heard the doorbell ring, and a couple of seconds later Aria was calling me upstairs. I reached the top of the stairs the connect to the living, and spotted Erik standing in the doorwar. The thought of what Josh told me about Erik and Ani hanging out flashed quickly through my head, and I remembered that was Ani upstairs.

"Hey, Erik!" I said, trying to sound cheerful but my voice got knocked down an octave from the mono.

"Hello Noelle," He stepped towards me, giving me a hug. "I heard you were sick, so I decided to stop by and see how you were doing."

"Oh…well, thanks. I'm fine, actually." I ran my fingers through my hair and shrugged, as if mono was no big deal. "You should probably just not stand so close to me, you wouldn't want to catch it."

"That's good, well, actually I was wondering if Josh was here, I needed to tell him something…" Erik clearly hadn't been listening to me. His eyes searched around the house, trying to spy Josh.

I didn't even need to call him upstairs. Thanks to his super-hearing and eavesdropping, Josh was upstairs almost as soon as Erik had finished his sentence.

"Hello, Josh." Erik smiled.

"Hi..." Josh responded, sounding a bit confused and standing rather close behind me. I was awkward sandwiched between the two guys.

"I have a message from Flower to you. She says, 'I would have liked to have visited you today, but it seems I have come down with a terrible case of mono, I am very sorry and I miss you.'"

I looked behind me to exchange glances with Josh.

Flower has mono, and so does Josh, so they obviously kissed… but I have mono, even though I didn't kiss Josh or Erik, and even if I did kiss Erik, he doesn't have mono…

"Oh….uh, well tell her that I hope she gets better," Josh said.

"I will, indeed," Erik promised, nodding.

The next few moments were kind of awkward, because I didn't know who was supposed to leave, Josh or Erik. The both just stood there politely waiting for the other to go away. I cleared my throat, painfully aware that Erik was still standing too close in front of me and Josh too close in back of me.

Finally, I decided to take the situation into my own hands and I stepped back 'accidently' stomping on Josh's foot. He got the hint and left.

"So, why don't we sit down," I suggested to Erik.

"Absolutely," he agreed, sitting on the couch. I sat down on the floor in front of me. He stared at me in confusion. "…Would you like a seat on the couch?" He asked. I shook my head. I was trying to find the right words to break up with him. I felt as though I was silly for going out with him in the first place. I didn't know him very well and he seems to like Ani better anyway.

He smirked, "You know, you and your friend Josh are a lot alike."

"…Excuse me?"

"Well, I just mean that…I've noticed you both seem quite fond of each other. Understandably so, you two have a lot in common."

What the hell? He doesn't even know Josh that well! Is he just trying to get rid of me?! FINE!

"Okay… I don't what the heck you're saying, you don't even know Josh very well," I repsonded angrily.

"I know I don't but…..I know…I mean.…..you two just seem as though you want each other..."

_Want each other?!_ _How awkward of him to say all this!_ Then I realized Josh could hear all of this. That made me blush badly.

"What the hell are you saying?"

He didn't answer, looking down at the ground. I think he was scared of my anger.

"Alright, fine, I'll make it easy for you, we're done. No more dates. " I got up, and walked over to the door and opened it, making it obvious that he wasn't welcomed here anymore. He got up slowly, walking toward the door, and paused in front of me, as if trying to say something, but in the end decided otherwise and opened the front door.

I almost wanted him to stop and say something. It hurt my feelings that he could just walk out without saying goodbye to me like that.

And now, thanks to him, I would have to go back downstairs and deal with even MORE super awkwardness with Josh.

"Oh, and by the way….YOU SUCK!" I shouted after him, and then slammed the door shut.

I leaned back against the closed door, flustered, and tried recollecting my thoughts so I could be prepared to go back to the basement. Aria quickly ran up the stairs and over to me,

"Noelle! Don't say that! Especially around your little sisters!" She reprimanded.

I knew she meant not to say 'you suck.' Calming down slightly, I groaned,

"Ugh, why not?"

Aria raised her eyebrows at me,

"Noelle, do you even know what that means?..."

"Duh Aria, omigosh, I'm not a two year old!" I pushed past her, stomped downstairs, and slammed the basement door shut, muttering to myself, "I know it means 'suck gumballs.'"

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Josh's eyes widen,

"Um, wrong kind of balls, Noelle."

"What? Well, what kind of balls, then?" I asked him, sincerely perplexed.

He put his face in his hands, turning red,

"I can't have this conversation with you."

"Ugh, whatever," I shrugged. I noticed that Deanna was asleep on my bed. The illness was making me tired, too. "I want to take a nap," I yawned.

"Me too," Josh yawned, too.

I glared at him,

"There is only one bed left, Josh." Deanna was taking up the entire bed that she was on.

He frowned,

"But, I'm really tired! …I know this is weird, but since we are friends and all, can't we just share? I promise with all my heart I'll leave as much room for you as possible."

I was so tired, I considered it. Josh was warm. Warmth is good for naps. And we are friends, so it's not like it would be _that_ weird. And we can't sleep on another bed and risk getting more people sick.

"Okay, fine," I sighed, "But we are never telling anyone about this. EVER."

"Deal!" Josh jumped onto the bed and instantly fell asleep. I eyed his bare chest and got an idea.

I went upstairs to my parent's room and found the door open, so I let myself in. At first I thought no one was in there, but then I heard my dad talking on the phone in the bathroom attached to the room.

I walked over to his dresser and searched through it until I found a large T-Shirt. As I closed the dresser, I overheard my dad say,  
"…Oh good. I'm sure you will find him quite interesting…. That's right, his name is CJ… No, he doesn't seem to understand his full potential...when will you be coming for him? ...Yes, of course, sir…see you then, Aro." I heard my dad about to get out of the bathroom so I sprinted out of the room.

I came quickly back downstairs with my hands behind my back. "Hey Josh, I have a present for you," His eyes, surprisingly, lit up,

"What is it?"

I brought my hands out in front of me, revealing the shirt.

He looked disappointed,

"Oh. Does this mean I have to wear it?"

"I'm not sleeping next to my half-naked ex-boyfriend," I told him.

He slightly glared at me a snatched the shirt away,

"Gee, thanks."

"No problem," I said with a smile, as he slipped the shirt on over his toned abs.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something." He told me, lowering his voice so Deanna couldn't hear, just incase she woke up.

"What?"

"Um…well, I was thinking, we should probably explain to Dee what imprinting and shape-shifters are."

"Oh, yeah, that would probably be a good thing….now?"

"No, now I want to sleep." He closed his eyes and after a second began snoring. I took a deep breath and lied down next to him, cringing as I had to touch him in order to fit on the bed. At least he was already asleep.

**Sorry for not updating in such a long time. But, you know how life goes. Next chapter will be up next week. **

**PLEASE REVIEW, it encourages me and helps me make the story better. **

**THANK YOU : )**

**-Ria M. Write **


	71. Just Joshin'

_7-Eleven_

**Chapter 71: "Just Joshin'"**

**Noelle's POV**

I awoke from my nap and realized I was awfully cold for someone who was next to a werewolf. When I opened my eyes and sat up, I saw that Josh was doing rapid push-ups across the room.

"What are you doing? You're buff as is…"

Josh froze when I spoke and closed his eyes, as if suppressing anger or some other unpleasant feeling. He sighed and stood up,

"It's about time we wake up Dee and explain shapeshifting and imprinting to her."

"We should wake her up?" I looked at Deanna, who was happily asleep on her stomach, stretched out over the entire small bed.

"Yeah, I guess so, we have to do it before Seth gets back. And I am sure that will be pretty darn soon."

"Um…okay." I agreed, "Hey Deanna, can we talk to you about something, it's kind of important," I kicked her with my foot. She woke up, startled,

"What's going on?" She looked around confused.

"We need to talk to you about something important," I repeated.

Deanna looked up at us skeptically,

"Okay, what?"

"Why don't we sit down," Josh suggested, taking a seat on the bed next to me. Deanna and I exchanged looks- the two of us were already sitting down. Deanna sat up and turned herself to face us.

"So…" Josh started awkwardly, "I know this might sound crazy and stuff, but I need you to know that this is all the truth, and Noelle can verify that….if that means anything to you," he mumbled the last part.

I hit him in the arm, _I am a reliable source, thank you very much!_, and said,

"Yeah, Dee, if he says anything that isn't true, I'll tell you."

"Um...okay," Deanna raised her eyebrows.

Josh sighed, and told the whole story about shapeshifters to Deanna, and it didn't seem totally alienated to her. She was taking it all without any shock, as if it was still familiar information to her. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, until he got to the imprinting part of the story…

"…And so all of us can potentially imprint on people, but not all of us do," he finished.

He and I both looked at Deanna expectantly.

"Okay…I think I get this. But…I wonder how it feels to imprint?" She was curious..

"Josh knows what it feels like!" I blurted out. I just wanted to get this over with.

"Really? You have someone you imprinted on?" Deanna was excited by the idea.

"Well, I used to…" Josh looked a little uncomfortable.

"What was it like?"

"Well… it was like seeing the sun for the first time. When I laid my eyes on her, I just knew she was the one. I fell completely and absolutely in love with her… From that moment on, I knew that nothing else was important in my life. She….was hard to get to at first, but then she came around, and we were just _so_ happy…We would always laugh together…and I would hang out with her family and they all liked me, and she would hang out with my friends …It was the best when we danced together…sometimes we would just slow dance, alone, no music except the sound of our beating hearts…Her hair was always so pretty and it was just about my favorite thing in the world when her cheeks blushed…Everything about her was so cute…At night, I would have vivid dreams of us being together when we get older, me just having her as mine forever, being able to kiss her whenever I want, being able to snuggle close to her every night…We were the best couple in the world…we were both funny, and smart, and silly, and we liked all the same things…It's the best feeling in the world to know that you love someone and that they love you back, that they feel the same way and that no matter what, you would always have her there for you, and that you would always be there for her…we were best friends, and I would do anything for her. We were just totally in love. And she was my everything… I mean, we fit together perfectly. She was the love of my life. My. Entire. Life…" Josh finished his incredibly romantic story, leaving us in awe.

"Wow." Deanna said, "So, what happened to her?"

I looked at Josh, having totally fallen for the romantic story, my eyes filled with tears by the sweetness of his words, my face flushed with the flattering, waiting for whatever beautiful thing he would say next. Josh paused in thought for a moment. Then,

"She died." He said simply, shrugging.

I gasped loudly and smacked Josh right across the face.

Deanna looked alarmed by the two of us, and Josh, being the guy he is, thought fast and stupidly, coming up with the most idiotic idea of all. He started hugging me and actually petting my hair, saying,

"Poor Noelle, she and that girl were such good friends! It causes Noelle so much grief to hear about what happened that sometimes she just has outbursts like that! Aw…it's okay, Noelle! ….You know, she and Noelle were _so_ close, practically like the same person!"

"You have no idea." I said between clenched teeth, sitting completely stiff, arms crossed and staring straight ahead.

"Okay, so I think I get it now….But I' m hungry, so I'm gonna go get something to eat," Deanna said, leaving.

Once she closed the basement door, Josh stopped 'petting' me, and I smacked him again, saying, "You're such a jerk!" And leaving the basement, catching up to Deanna.

**Deanna's POV**

_So, that was interesting, I wonder if I'm going to imprint on anyone…_

_Oh! I have THE BEST idea!_

I scarfed down an apple and ran back downstairs quickly to where Josh was,

"Um…can you like, leave?" I asked him awkwardly, "I kind of need to change."

He frowned at me,

"It's not like I haven't seen you before when you've phased, but, sure..." He got up and joined Noelle upstairs for food.

I shuttered at the idea of Josh ever seeing me naked. _Whatever, I have more important things to focus on._

All I needed to do was pick out an absolutely gorgeous, attention-grabbing outfit. I figured Noelle was really the only person that would actually have something like that in her wardrobe.

I opened her closet and found a really cute sequined hot pink tank top. _Perfect! Now all I need is a bottom to go with it…. _

I rummaged through all of the clothes. _There! That's perfect!_

I tried on the sequined top with the black pencil skirt I found….I. Looked. Hot. _Hmm, now all I need is shoes…_

I looked through all of Noelle's many shoes, and found the perfect black heels. _I am so ready to go!_

Just then, I heard footsteps-Noelle's coming down the stairs. _Jeez, this super-hearing thing is pretty cool._

Noelle opened the door and came down the stairs, stopped, and looked at me, confused.

"Deanna, why the heck are you dressed like that?"

"Well, in fact, I have decided that I want to go partying! You wanna come?!"

Noelle paused for a moment, blinked, and then exclaimed,

"Hell yeah! I am SINGLE, after all!" she shouted towards the upstairs, and I wasn't sure why, but her excitement will serve my purpose well regardless.

"Okay Noelle, pick out a cute outfit out of your closet there, and let's go!"

"Okay! Wait, let me go tell Ani, I want her to come too!"

Noelle went upstairs and filled Ani in on the plan. She was more than willing to get out of the house.

Noelle eventually picked out a black minidress, that actually looked pretty good. I knew that if Aria saw her she'd make her change, saying she looked 'too sexy,' so we would have to be sneaky when we tried to leave the house.

Anyways, she had the black minidress with silver stilettos. Ani joined us downstairs with a black leather mini skirt, and a white spaghetti strap shirt with pink high heels. She looked really cute, and a lot more colorful than Noelle.

We spent a few more minutes doing each other's makeup, then we were ready to go. It was around 8:30 now, and Ani knew where a party was that some of the kids we know in Forks were throwing.

"We need someone to drive us," Analiese pointed out.

"Hmm, oh! I have an idea! How about we tell Aria that we are going to a bookstore, and we just put on coats over our clothes, and then she will drive us there!"

"Oh! Good idea Noelle!" Ani agreed.

"Yeah, I know. Okay, let's go."

After slipping on coats, Noelle, Ani, and I went upstairs to find Aria. Josh was standing in the kitchen doorway, watching us as we walked past him.

"Hey, Aria." I found Aria in Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen's room, reading a book with CJ.

"Um, hi Dee…" Aria squinted her eyes in suspicion.

"Okay, Aria, since Deanna and I are like stuck downstairs, we wanted you to drive us to the bookstore so we can stock up on books and movies. Ani wants to come with us," Noelle asked.

She eyed us skeptically, but eventually agreed.

"You wait here?" She asked CJ. He nodded.

The party was just down the street from the bookstore, so all we had to do was walk there from the store.

As we got out of the car, Aria called,

"Don't be long because I don't want to wait in this parking lot for a long time."

Ani, Noelle, and I eyed each other nervously.

"Oh, Aria, we were actually thinking about shopping for a few other things too," Ani said, thinking fast, "So I don't think you're going to want to wait here for us."

Luckily, Aria wanted to get back to CJ, so she didn't want to come in with us.

"Okay, so then what time do I have to come back here to pick you guys up at?"

Again, we all looked at each other. We hadn't thought of this part of our plan.

"Oh, we thought we could just call you when we want to come home, Noelle said matter-or-factly.

Aria was too tired to think anymore about our pick-up plans. "Okay, whatever, you guys have one of the cellphones, right?"

Noelle and Ani both looked at me.

"Deanna, you always have a cell phone, did you bring one?" Ani asked me.

"Um…no?" _I always had a cellphone?_

"Ugh, that's okay, I can give you the cellphone I have, and you can just call the home phone, kay?"

"Okay," I said. Aria gave the phone to Noelle, and drove off.

"Okay guys, party time!" Noelle exclaimed, dramatically ripping off her overcoat, revealing her minidresses. Ani and I followed suit.

We skipped excitedly down the sidewalk, until we were one door away from the house party, where we slowed to a cool walk.

We ran the doorbell and some random person opened it and greeted us, offering us sodas. We declined and looked around. The house was clearly owned by some rich people. Strobe lights, a DJ, and lots of food. It felt like we were in a club.

"Where should we stand?" I asked my sisters.

"The dance floor!" Ani suggested.

"No, we should go_ next_ to the dance floor so that way guys ask us to dance!" Noelle explained.

I smiled, this was going to be fun.

We took our seats on chairs near the dance floor, and half-turned our bodies around so that we could see the wild dancing. There was everything from groups of guys dancing, to groups of girls dancing, to couples dancing, some really inappropriately, and some just normally, and-_wait a second, that's him!_

"Noelle Noelle Noelle Noelle! Remember what you and Josh were talking to me about-imprinting?!" I exclaimed.

"Um…yeah," She exchanged a questioning look with Ani.

"Well, I found my imprint!" I smiled, feeling victorious that I could feel the feeling Josh had so well explained to me.

A guy across the room had caught my eye. His back was to me, but I knew it had to be him. Then, he started to turn around, and….

"Ew! Okay, false alarm!" I stated, "Nevermind, I DID NOT imprint on that loser!"

**Analiese's POV**

Noelle and I looked at each other. This was not good.

Deanna was not supposed to be imprinting on a random guy at a party when she already had Seth. Noelle and I would get in some much trouble if Deanna tried to date any guy here.

I looked around the room. There _were_ some pretty cute guys, believe it or not. In fact, I even caught one staring at me across the room. When he caught my eye he smiled and waved, and I blushed and looked away.

When I looked up again, he was gone.

Suddenly, Deanna gasped. Noelle and I froze.

"What?" I asked Deanna.

"That's him, that's really him! I found him! My lover! My imprint! Yes yes yes yes yes!"

Noelle and I looked at her, more than a little worried this time.

"Okay, I'm going to go talk to him," Deanna declared boldly, "Right now. I'm going!"

Noelle and I were too stunned to try and stop her.

Deanna walked up to a guy about seven feet in front of us, kind of standing on the edge of the dance floor. It was the same guy that had waved at me. He was even cuter closer: short, blond hair, tall, and he looked like he had muscle, but wasn't so 'showy' of it like Taylor was. He was close enough that when Deanna approached him, Noelle and I could hear their whole conversation.

"Heyyyy," Deanna said flirtatiously.

"Um…hi," The guy looked kind of confused and stunned that some random girl was approaching him.

"So, what's your name?" Deanna asked him, he was about to answer when Deanna cut in, "Never mind, we have decades for details like that- Kiss me!"

"What?" The guy asked, thinking he could not have possibly heard her correctly in the loud music.

Noelle and I jumped up from our seats, this was not good.

Deanna grabbed the guy's forearms,

"Come on! It's not like you have to worry about me being a bad kiss, I didn't get mono from drinking from someone else's cup, you know." She winked, trying to be really seductive and making the suggestion that she got mono from kissing lots of guys.

Noelle and I ran up to them now. Noelle pulled Deanna away from the guy, saying, "Actually, yes you _did_ get mono from sharing drinks," And pushed Deanna away from him, back to her seat. This left me alone with the guy.

"Sorry about that. My sister is a little sick, and she's kind of acting up..." I struggled to explain.

The guy looked at me like he was scared of me trying to give him mono, too.

"Don't worry, I'm not sick." I laughed. _Wait. Was that giving the impression that I wanted to kiss him? Uh-oh. _

But the guy actually smiled a little,

"Oh, it's fine. You have to come into parties at this house prepared for things like that. You never know what you're going to find in here."

I laughed,

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

He held out his hand,

"I'm Cole, by the way."

I shook his hand,

"I'm Ani."

"Nice to meet you, Ani."

"You too."

I studied him, he looked around 16, it was hard to tell with the dark lighting. I glanced over at Noelle and Deanna back at their seats to see if they needed any help, but Deanna was just looking all depressed at getting in trouble for trying to kiss a random guy. Noelle was actually smiling at me, amused by my conversation with Cole.

"So, you wanna dance?" Cole asked completely unexpectedly. A slow song had started playing.

"Yeah, sure." I smiled.

**Noelle's POV **

I watched as Ani and Cole moved on to the dance floor for a slow dance. I was proud of her for finding a guy so quickly. Well, actually for Deanna finding a guy, trying to kiss him, and then Ani apologizing for her.

"Can we please go dance, Noelle? I promise I won't 'imprint' on anymore guys…" Deanna whined. They just finished the slow song, and now the DJ was playing an upbeat tune. I glanced over at Ani and Cole. They continued dancing together.

"Alright, but behave yourself."

We moved to the dance floor, stopping near the edge to avoid the big crowd. But, apparently, that wasn't what Deanna had planned. She grabbed my arm and led me to the very center of the dance floor.

"Danceeee time!" Deanna exclaimed.

We started dancing, letting loose and having a lot of fun.

I surveyed our surroundings while dancing. The whole party was full of just teenagers, no adults. But I did not see any alcohol either, so that was good.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two really cute guys coming up to Deanna and I. One looked around 16, and the other could pass for either 14 or 15. They stopped right next to me and Deanna.

"Hey," said the older one, "You guys want to dance?" It was obvious he meant that he wanted to dance with Deanna and the other one wanted to dance with me.

"Sure!" Deanna agreed before I got a chance to respond.

We resumed our dancing to the upbeat song. I was facing the younger guy and Deanna was facing the older guy.

After a minute, another slow song started playing. The guy I was with smiled a little, shyly, at me. I could tell he wanted to dance, and he looked so cute when he was so shy. So I put my arms around his neck, and let him take my waist, and we swayed to the music.

I saw Deanna about to step closer to her dance partner for the slow dance, but suddenly, her eyes widened and she gasped, turning away from the guy and running through the crowd, presumably off of the dance floor. The guy stood there dazed, apparently shocked at what had just happened. He looked over at me.

_Ugh, not again!_

I unwrapped my arms from my guy,

"I'm really, really sorry! Thanks for the dance." I tried to smile sweetly but it was rushed. He looked confused as I began to push my way through all the people dancing.

As I was hurrying away, he yelled,

"What's your name!"

"Noelle!" I called over my shoulder.

Just then, my shoe fell off. _Shit!_

I kept going though, I could not let Deanna do anything stupid again.

"Okay, well I'm-" I couldn't hear what he yelled, the music was too loud and I was too far away by now.

_This sucks._ _I have to find Deanna in this massive crowd, and, on top of that, my high-heel fell off!_ I was walking around lopsided.

_There she is!_ I spotted Deanna.

She was down on one knee in front of a guy that was very short, especially compared to Deanna, with black hair.

I quickly moved over to them, not interrupting just yet, but waiting and observing.

"I love you so much! When I first laid eyes on you, I knew that you were the one! Will you marry me?" Deanna finished.

The guy looked so confused and nervous. I felt bad for him.

"Wait- Before you answer, you should know something about me. I'm a wolf, but it's okay, because I can protect people. I can become a wolf whenever I want and-" At this point, the guy, red in the face from embarrassment and sweating from the awkwardness, sprinted away. I'm pretty sure that's what I would have done too.

She got up, and walked over to me,

"Jeez, this imprinting thing is hard!"

I rolled my eyes,

"Okay Deanna, let's go home."

I grabbed her by the wrist and led her over to a chair. I made her sit down and then I handed her the cellphone,

"Call Aria and tell her to come pick us up. I'm going to get Ani."

Deanna sighed and began to dial our house phone number. I located Ani, who was now standing by a window, chatting with Cole, and I waved her over to us. She said goodbye to Cole, who apparently asked for her number because she spent another couple of minutes typing something into his phone.

I sat down next to Deanna, waiting for Ani.

"Hey, you dropped something." I turned to see that the guy I had been dancing with was next to me, holding my high heel.

"Oh! Thank!" I tried to take I from him but he pulled it away.

"I'll put it on for you," he winked, bending down and taking hold of my foot. I felt like Cinderella as he slipped it on.

"Can I have your number?" I asked. Hey, this guy was really sweet!

"Sure," he smiled. I took the cellphone back from Deanna and handed it to him. He added his number to the contacts and gave it back to me.

"See you around," he winked at me again.

I giggled fliratasiously.

I opened the phone and looked at his number. Contact Name: Josh.

I almost threw up.

_Nevermind! NEVER seeing him again._

I was not going to date someone named Josh.

Aria's POV

I tapped my fingers on my car's steering wheel as three of my little sisters climbed into the backseats.

They were giggling and looked kind of sweaty, like they had been dancing or something.

"How was the bookstore?" I asked them.

"Good," they all answered quickly.

"Looks like you got a lot of books," I commented, sarcastically. There were holding no books.

"Uh, well, we did not find any that we liked," Ani explained.

I rolled my eyes.

"You know, lying to me is not going to make me want to drive you anywhere again."

"ARIA, we just_ didn't find any that we liked_!" Noelle snapped, insistently.

"Yeah, back off," Ani added.

I sighed. It was difficult to be the oldest when the younger (immature) ones always gang up on you.

Analiese's POV

I opened the front door to our house, feeling bubbly and excited about the guy I met at the party. Cole was so funny and sweet and handsome. I skipped into the living room, my sisters still in the car, getting a long lecture from Aria.

"Good evening…" Josh was sitting on the piano bench in our living room, facing the front door.

"What are you still doing here?" I asked him, "Spying on Noelle?"

He narrowed his eyes at me,

"Very funny. I'm here because I am waiting for CJ to leave."

"Why?"

"We live together."

"And you don't want to walk alone through the dark scary reservation woods? AWWWW, poor Joshy poo!" I teased.

He cleared his throat,

"Don't you have some animal-calling to do?"

Now I narrowed my eyes at him,

"Very funny." I sang a few notes and Stacy ran up to me, happily wagging her tail, as if she loved the sound of my voice, "Good doggy!" I pet her, "Now, attack Josh!" Stacy didn't do anything.

"She likes me too much," Josh said.

"Naw, I just haven't figured out how to command animals to do things through my singing yet. But I will. And when I do, oh you better watch your little Joshy steps!"

"Well I can turn into a wolf and TEAR YOU TO PIECES,_ whenever I WANT_!" Just as Josh was saying that, Noelle, Deanna, and Aria walked in.

All three looked at him, taken aback by his horrible threat to me.

"…Josh? What's wrong with you!" Noelle exclaimed.

"No, no! I was just Joshin'! Ani and I were going back and forth with threats and-and-!"

"'Just Joshin'?'" Noelle was not amused by his pun.

Josh laughed at his own pun,

"Oh, come on! It's funny!"

"What are you even doing here?" She asked.

"I'm supposed to stay with you and Deanna since we all have mono, remember? But now that you guys have just been going around in public, I guess I should just go home. So I am waiting for CJ. Where have you been, Little Miss Christmas?" Josh asked.

"What?" Noelle was confused by what he called her.

"Because 'Noelle' means 'Christmas.' He's still trying to be funny," Aria explained, "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go find CJ," he went downstairs.

"We've been at the bookstore," Deanna explained, "And I'm going to bed." Deanna went to the basement.

"Oh, the bookstore?" Josh raised his eyebrows at Noelle and stood up from the piano bench, steeping close to her, "That's a lot of makeup for the bookstore." His face was close to her face as he spoke.

"Well, you never know who you are going to see there," she retorted, crossing her arms over her long coat.

Josh looked down at her arms and then smiled slyly back up at her.

"Mhm, I'm sure that's _exactly_ where you went- a bookstore."

"It's true!" Noelle insisted. I could tell she was getting nervous that Josh would find out what really happened, "And, and where I go is not any of _your_ business anyway!" She told him.

"Oh, it's not?" Josh suddenly wrapped his arms around Noelle, rendering her unable to escape as he unzipped her coat.

"Let me go! Let me go!" She demanded.

"Josh! That's so awkward! You're being creepy! Leave her alone!" I said to him, running over and trying to pry his arms off of her.

"Well it's a good thing I am not imprinted on you anymore, since, if I was, you could just ask me to let you go and I would have to. He slid the coat off of her as he finally let go of her, revealing her fancy outfit. "Some bookstore dress," he remarked.

"THAT WAS SO NOT OKAY!" I screeched at Josh. He eyed my coat,

"Shut up or your next," he muttered, then he looked back at Noelle, "So why exactly are you dressed like a slut?"

"I went to a party, okay!? It's not a big deal. Get over yourself," she crossed her arms again, obviously feeling awkward being in a minidress in front of Josh.

Josh covered her eyes with his hands,

"That dress is _so_ short! And you let a whole party's worth of guys see you in that!?"

"You're not my father, Josh!"

He took his hands off of his face,

"No. But I am your friend. And guy friends don't let their girl friends dress like sluts."

Noelle took off her stilettos and threw them at him,

"I'm going to bed!" She ran downstairs, and I could hear it in her voice that she was about to cry. Josh and I stood silent for a moment and then he looked like he regretted what he had said once he heard her crying in her room.

"You're a jerk," I told him, heading to my room.

**Author's Note:**

**PLEASE REVIEW- let me know what you thought about the chapter. **

**Do you think Noelle and Josh are going to get back together?**

**Do you think Charles is working with the Volturi?**

**New chapter will be up next week. Thanks for reading! **


	72. Flower Power

_7-Eleven_

**Chapter 72: "Flower Power" **

**Analiese's POV**

"Wait, Ani…" Josh followed me up the few steps, moving quickly and catching up to me before I reached my room. I turned to him, placing my hands on my hips and raising my eyebrows expectantly.

When he saw my expression he hesitated, unsure if his efforts would just be in vain. Then he said,

"Your vampire infection probably keeps you from getting sick, right?" He was whispering now that we were right next to my little sisters' room, where Elise and Kathleen were already sleeping.

"My 'vampireinfection?' What a flattering way to put it!" I whispered harshly back to him. He rolled his eyes impatiently,

"I'm sorry. My point is, I need someone who probably won't catch mono. And since you are now semi-vampire, are you less likely to get sick?"

I thought for a second,

"I suppose so. I haven't really asked Carlisle about that yet."

Josh nodded,

"Good enough. Because I need you to come with me somewhere."

"Where?"

"Tonight."

"I said 'where?'"

"Like, right now."

I sighed and raised my voice,

"Josh, WHERE?"

He grabbed my arm and pulled me back downstairs, covering his mouth with his finger and hissing,

"Shhhhh! You'll wake the little ones!"

"It's dark out now, Josh. Where could you possibly have to go?"

"Well, with me being part wolf and you being part vampire, we really should be fine with going out at night," he pointed out.

I narrowed my eyes at him,

"I'm not going unless you tell me where."

Now it was his turn to sigh.

"The Werylys. Erik said that Flower has mono too so I should go visit her…and I might be a little scared to go on my own," he admitted bashfully.

"Why's that?" I asked, suspicious.

"Because they keep a pet werewolf man and he's all naked and in a cage and it's just weird. I don't know why, but more and more I'm becoming less comfortable with dating Flower. Now I'm actually creeped out by the idea of going to see her alone. But I _have_ to do something."

"Fine. I'll go. But only if you promise to apologize to Noelle when we get back," I offered.

"Okay, okay, okay. Let's go, it's getting late."

Tasha's POV

I had been in the playroom watching TV with CJ while he was waiting for Aria to come back when we heard Josh and Ani leave the house.

"I think they were at a party," Aria told CJ, "Which is totally irresponsible of them since Deanna and Noelle are sick."

CJ nodded in agreement.

I thought for a moment. According to what I've heard, Deanna had lost her memory of being a shapeshifter when she got mono from sharing a drink with Noelle. That means that she forgot about Seth, her imprint, who is on a mission to Italy to see if the Volturi have Charles working for them.

Now, if Deanna really did go to a party with Noelle and Ani, she probably flirted with guys since she does not remember Seth.

And since Seth is her boyfriend, it is going to hurt his feelings a lot when he comes back and finds all that out.

Worst of all, who knows what else Deanna is going to do between now and when Seth returns.

"Well, I'll talk to you guys later," I said to my older sister and her new boyfriend. I left the playroom and walked up to my room, tiptoeing past my sleeping little sisters, and crawling under my bed.

To be honest, there was a lot of stuff under there. I had to push away quite a few toys and books before I reached my small bag. Pulling the tiny tie-dye bag out, I quietly opened it and spied the small vial inside. I smiled.

I silently slid back out of my room and into Ani and Deanna's. I found Deanna sitting at her desk (a rare sight-but then again her illness _was_ making her act weird.)

"Hi Deanna! How are you feeling?" I asked her, "Still have a sore throat?" I kept the bag behind my back.

She turned to me and shrugged.

"Yeah. But, I feel kind of sad for some reason…like I'm missing something…but I have no idea what."

I nodded,

"I'm sure you do. It's not _something_ that you miss, though. It's _someone_."

"What?" she furrowed her eyebrows.

I took the vial out of the bag and offered it to Deanna.

"Here, drink this," I smiled, "It will help."

She took it from me and held it up towards the light, examining the liquid inside.

"What is this?"

"Parco Emendatio," I answered, "Don't worry, it doesn't taste bad."

"Why are you giving this to me, Tasha?" Deanna asked, opening the bottle.

"Well, do you know what imprinting is?"

Deanna nodded, her eyes widening.

"That will make you imprint," I promised. Her face lit up with excitement. She took a deep breath, and chugged down the liquid in one gulp.

Analiese's POV

It was a very good thing that I could see a little better in the dark now, because Josh was not doing me the favor of taking an easy way through the forest. Oh no, he had to walk through every pricker bush, over every hole in the ground, and under the heaviest cover of trees that even the moonlight could not get through.

I followed behind Josh, hoping that if anything scary was going to pop out, it would eat him first. That would give me a chance to run.

Then again, Josh in his wolf form was probably the scariest thing within a mile radius.

Finally, we reached a small clearing. We began to walk towards a wagon that had "The Werylys' Wagon of Shaxper-Eastern Caravan" written on its side.

As we got closer, the wagon and the clearing started to get much bigger, and I began to notice more things around us.

"What's going on? Was all that here before?" I asked Josh, looking on either side of me as more and more things seemed to appear.

"It's magic. Flower and Erik are witches. I guess that they have this whole area enchanted."

"That's so cool…" I was mesmerized as we walked to the end of the wagon, where some stairs leading to a door were, and could see the other side, where a bubbling pot was boiling over a crackling fire. I also spotted some horses with very long manes tied up to a nearby tree.

Josh met my eyes,

"Okay, this is it. Don't be alarmed if things are even stranger inside." He knocked on the door. Erik answered it immediately. He saw me and smiled,

"Oh! Hello you two! What a pleasant surprise!"

He stepped to the side to give us room to walk in, and we did. Josh shook his hand,

"How is Flower? May I see her?" Erik scratched his head nervously,

"Well, I suppose. She is in the bedroom."

Josh nodded and moved through the narrow kitchen to a door in the back, apparently the door that leads to the bedroom. Erik smiled at me,

"You look pretty tonight," he said, winking. He was so unbelievably charming.

"I really shouldn't be accepting compliments from my little sister's ex-boyfriend," I replied.

He frowned,

"I'm sorry about what happened with Noelle. It was entirely my fault."

"Yes, it was," I agreed. I was not really sure what happened exactly, but it was my duty to side with my sister anyhow.

I turned to catch up with Josh, who had just stepped into the bedroom. Erik followed.

Inside, the atmosphere changed. Flower was lying in the bed, sick. Her hair was messily sprawled out over the pillow and her eyes were watery.

"Josh! Oh I am so happy to see you!" She exclaimed. You could tell by her voice that she had a sore throat.

"I don't understand…Noelle, Deanna, and I have mono too and we aren't nearly as ill as you…" Josh said, peering at her while standing at the end of the bed.

"Flora, we need to tell them," Erik said to his younger sister, "It is time that you tell Joshua the truth."

As intrigued as I was by his words, and as serious as the atmosphere was, I still could not help but chuckle at 'Joshua.'

"What truth?" Josh asked.

Flower glared at Erik.

"But I don't want to!" she whined.

"IT IS TIME!" Erik raised his voice. I stumbled back, closer to Josh, startled by Erik's yelling.

Josh put his hands on my shoulders, steadying me.

Flower sighed,

"I had you under a love spell," she mumbled.

Josh did not say anything, and I could not see his expression since my back was to him.

"Tell him _everything_," Erik demanded.

"I-I had you charmed. When you met me, I charmed you. That's why you felt so in love with me so quickly. It was a love spell. That's why you were able to tell me your werewolf secret. My love spell overpowered your wolfpack's orders. And…that's why now you don't feel nearly as powerfully in love with me…because the love spell is dwindling away."

"We took the love spells off because we discovered that there was something more going on," Erik continued.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Josh was still not saying anything.

"One night we invited Josh and Noelle over, and Flora put them under a terribly powerful trance. She asked each of them, who were more sleep walking than awake and probably only remember this as a strange dream, to kiss the one that they love. She, of course, just wanted to have some fun. She expected Josh to kiss her and Noelle to kiss me. However…the two kissed each other."

I waited for Josh's reaction. I anticipated a flinch, a gasp, an exclamation of some sort. But still, he stood like a statue, his hands still on my shoulders.

"Well, that explains why they both have mono," I remarked. Erik chuckled,

"Actually it is not exactly _mono_ that you have. It is very similar and will test positive as mono, but it is actually a contagious side effect of a spell I used on Flora a few days ago to get her to stop arguing with Aruru, our cat. She got the side effect, then gave it to Josh by kissing him, who gave it to Noelle, who gave it to Deanna. Since Flower had it directly, she's in much worse condition, but they all will probably be in pretty bad shape soon. Sorry about that…"

"But if Josh was under a love spell, wouldn't he still have kissed Flower?" I asked. Erik shook his head,

"In fact, Noelle was under a love spell from me as well. But under a trance those things do not apply. This trance was, in a sense, an honesty trance. It is like Witches' Truth or Dare. We were playing a game. It is fun, for us. Usually…" Erik explained.

"That's a terrible game to play," I told them, "It is treating people like puppets!"

"Well, I agree that people should not be treated like puppets. I did not want to force someone to do what they did not want to do, so I had to break up with Noelle. She is no longer under any love spell, and I will not bother her ever again. Joshua, on the other hand…" Erik looked at Josh intently. I turned to face him, letting his hands drop from my shoulders. His face was thoughtful, not as statue-like as the rest of his body.

"I am still under it, aren't I?" he asked, "The love spell is still on me, isn't it?" Erik nodded,

"Just a little bit. Flora needs to remove the last dose of it.' We all turned to the witch girl.

She began to sob.

And sob.

And sob.

Finally, Josh walked around to the side of her bed and leaned over to kiss her on her forehead.

"You were fun, spell or no spell," he smiled at her.

_Oh Josh, always knows how to please the ladies._

She calmed down and smiled up at him,

"Really?"

He nodded,

"I promise."

Flower lifted her arm from under the covers, revealing a wooden wand. She mumbled something in a strange language and a blue light reached out of the tip and struck Josh. He jumped back,

"Ouch! It stung me!"

"She put an extremely powerful spell on you. It is not easy getting those off," Erik shrugged, "And look, I'm sorry for trying to date your girl."

"She's not my girl," Josh defended, "Noelle and I have been just friends for awhile now."

Erik raised his eyebrows,  
"So you used to date?"

"It's complicated, okay? It's much more complex than even your stupid spells. UGH, I just wish mystical forces would stop telling me who to fall in love with!" Josh covered his face with his arms and breathed angrily.

"I'm so sorry, Josh," Erik said, "I am also sorry for Flora, because I know that she is not that sorry."

Flower turned away and covered her head with her blanket.

"I just don't understand. We really kissed? Noelle and I really kissed?"

"Yes. It was quite a long kiss, actually. Flora and I were stunned for a minute so we really did not know if we should try and stop you. I mean, in our defense, we did not truly realize you two even knew each other that well."

"But...I don't…" Josh pulled his hands away from his red face, "Ani! Does it seem like Noelle likes me? Like _likes_ me like that?" He turned to me, seeming desperate.

"Uh," he caught me of guard so I thought quickly, "Well, I mean, she _does_ still wear that bracelet that you gave her. The one with the wolf and the flower on it."

"Why a flower?" Erik asked.

"Her middle name is Florette," Josh and I said at the same time.

"That was a promise bracelet," Josh explained, "It was like me saying 'we are going to be together forever, one day we are going to get married, and have our own family.'" It seemed as though so many thoughts were going through his little Joshy brain at once that he could not even handle it.

Suddenly, there was a loud creaking noise off in the kitchen. It was so out of nowhere and it was so loud, that it made me jump. Josh put his hands on my shoulders again to comfort me.

"It's okay, it's just the front door," Erik told us and he left for the kitchen. Josh followed him. I thought it was interesting that he did not say goodbye to Flower as he left the room.

"Goodbye," I said to her, about to leave. But then, magically, a small box wrapped in green paper appeared in my hands.

"_That is for Josh. Make sure it gets to him,"_ I heard her voice say in my head. A little disturbed, I stuffed the box in my jacket pocket and entered the kitchen.

In the kitchen, a very hairy man stood.

"This is Steven," Erik introduced.

Hairy Steven held up his hand in a wave,

"Nice to meet you folks." His voice was deep and coarse. It made me a little scared and I wished Josh's hands were back on my shoulders again.

"I am Josh," Josh introduced himself, not introducing me. I was insulted for a second and then realized that I'd rather _not_ have this strange man know my name. "You must be the werewolf."

I glimmer ran through Steven's eyes.

"I might be," the tall man replied.

"I have a question for you," Josh began, sounding strong and authoritative, the torn and confused boy that I had seen in the bedroom now gone. "What made you break loose last full moon? What was it that caused you to attack Courtney?"

Steven stood up a little straighter, his eyes now hopeful through his long, dirty hair.

"Her name was Courtney? I didn't know her name. Is she alright? I-"

"ENOUGH!" Erik made a gesture with his hand and Steven flinched, apparently hurt by whatever Erik had done. Whimpering in pain, Steven now looked only down at his feet. Pity filled me for the poor, dirty, hairy, werewolf man.

"It was a song," he told us, "I heard it. It was like a siren from the ancient days. It called me. I had to listen to the song. I had to, or I felt like I would never see any goodness in the world again. It was a powerful sound, and it drove me mad. I heard it even before the full moon. That's how I know for sure, because what I do in a full moon, well, I do not really have memory of that…"

Josh's mouth opened a little, as if he had realized something. Then he composed himself again, thanked the man, and pulled me by the wrist out of the wagon without saying goodbye to Erik.

Erik was not okay with that though.

"Ani!" he called as Josh pulled me away from the clearing, into the dark forest, "Remember me, I'll always remember you!"

Once we were a good while away from the clearing, Josh let go of my wrist and apologized for dragging me.

He walked in front of me once again, so I had a moment to pull out the package Flower had given me and examine it. It was very small, and the green wrapping paper was very pretty.

"Josh, can I unwrap your package?"

My question made him stop in his tracks. He turned to me, blushing.

"Look, I know I am quite the ladies' man, but Taylor really would not appreciate us going that far on a first date."

Embarrassment filled me as I realized his dirty interpretation of what I had just said. But, playing along, I winked,

"Well, Taylor never needs to know," I replied.

"Yeah, until he reads my thoughts in wolf form," Josh laughed.

"So, you wouldn't be able to get me out of your thoughts, then?" I teased.

Josh laughed again,

"Give me the box," he grabbed it out of my hands before we could continue our semi-awkward joking.

"Flower wanted me to give that to you," I explained.

He rolled his eyes,

"Oh good. Maybe it's a love potion that I can use on whoever I want so _for once_ I can have someone all in love with me instead of it being the other way around."

"Calm down and open the box," I said.

He unwrapped it, removing all of the paper and then stopped.

"Ani, you know, _you_ were the one who called the werewolf."

"What?" but I didn't need him to explain. Suddenly it all made sense to me.

"Your singing called him on full moon night. That's why he broke loose and attacked Courtney. I mean, your song didn't ask him to attack anyone, that's just what werewolves do, but…"

I shook my head, clearing it,

"Let's just open the box and go home. I'm tired and you still have to apologize to Noelle."

Josh sighed and opened the box. Out of it sprung a whole bouquet of fresh flowers.

"Flower sent you flowers, how punny," I remarked.

"Yes, and now Flower's flowers will be given to Florette!" Josh giggled at his own sentence.

"Josh that wasn't funny."

Once we reached my house, Josh and I argued for a minute about who was going to open the front door, seeing as whoever it was had to be really quiet about it.

Finally, Josh and I got inside and I followed him downstairs to Aria and Noelle's room, to supervise his apology to make sure he really did it.

He knocked on the basement door and Noelle, in her pajamas, answered.

"Oh it's you. Care to try and take off my pajamas, too?" Noelle asked sarcastically, referring to him forcing her to take off her coat and reveal her party clothes earlier. Unfortunately, Noelle's joke was just awkward seeing as underneath her pajamas she had only underwear.

She realized the awkwardness of her own joke and cleared her throat before Josh could reply.

"Um, here, I brought you these," he smiled, handing her the flowers. She took them,

"They smell nice. Unlike you," she sneered.

Josh narrowed his eyes,

"Hey! I smell like a sexy wolf boy and I like it." I elbowed him. He sighed, "Look, I'm here to apologize for what I did earlier. I was just concerned about you going out partying while you are sick. You are going to get worse, I am sure. But anyway, I guess it was wrong of me to make you take off your coat like that. Will you forgive me?"

Noelle looked down at her flowers then back up at Josh…then back down at the flowers.

"Okay, see you tomorrow," she said. Josh nodded and Noelle closed the door. We walked back to the main floor.

"I'm surprised that she forgave you that easily," I said.

"Flower power," Josh winked. Then he waved 'goodbye' to me as he opened the front door.

I headed up to my room. Tasha stopped me in the hallway,

"Hey, we still have our concert tomorrow, remember? You ready to sing for everyone with me?"

I bit my lip. Singing was _definitely_ not a good idea with a werewolf nearby.

"You know what, how about it be just your concert? I kind of have a sore throat, maybe I caught something from Deanna and Noelle."

"Okay!" Tasha did not seem disappointed at all.

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! PLEASE REVIEW!**

**How did you like the chapter?**

**What do you think of Ani?**

**What do you think of Josh and Noelle? **

**What do you think about Tasha giving Deanna the liquid in the vial? **

**Thanks for reviewing! **

**-Ria M. Write**


	73. Cake-Face

_7-Eleven _

**Chapter 73: "Cake-Face" **

**Aria's POV**

Since my sisters and I did some room-swapping to keep the mono-infected Deanna and Noelle away from the very-healthy Aria and Ani, I found myself waking up in Deanna's bed.

The cool blue comforter and the feather-soft pillows made me feel like I was sleeping on a sprawling cloud.

Ani's bed above me was only a twin-sized mattress, but Deanna's was double that size so I was able to stretch out and enjoy a few minutes of relaxation.

The little "beds" that Noelle and I have in the basement are not nearly as soft or spacious as Deanna's. In fact, we really have a couch and a mattress that can be tucked under it to sleep on. We just keep the couch set up with sheets and a pillow as a bed for Noelle or I (we switch off) and the mattress we have stacked on some storage boxes so that it is close to the height of a normal bed. When we are having a party, Mom strips the pale linens from both of the "beds" and stuffs the small mattress under the old couch so that you can't even tell the rugged basement is supposed to also be our bedroom.

And that was exactly what was going to happen today. Tasha's vocal concert was taking place tonight, meaning that Mom was probably already up to get a head start on cleaning. In fact, I will most likely have a list of chores rattled off in my direction the moment I step off of Deanna's cloud-bed.

"Ani, are you awake?" I said softly, as to not wake her in case she was still asleep.

"Aria! Mom says, 'Get out of bed!' You've been sleeping all morning!" Ani's voice rang as the door next to the bed swung open. My oldest-younger sister had apparently been up and out of her bed for awhile now.

Her loud voice combined with the bright light glaring in from the hallway made me pull the blue covers over my head and turn away.

"Aria, seriously, it's already 7 am."

I pulled the blue blanket off my head and turned back towards her,

"When the heck does your 'morning' start?! 7 am is practically the crack of dawn!"

"What's going on here?" Mom was at the door too, now, overreacting to a little bickering between sisters… as usual.

Ani rolled her eyes,

"We're fine, Mom, Aria's just getting aquatinted with the 'crack of dawn.'"

"Hey, Mom, how come Deanna's bed is so comfy like a heavenly cloud and mine is like…a rock with a few pieces of straw laid over it?" I asked, beginning to climb out of the bed.

"Because Deanna's my angel," Mom teased, walking away.

Ani looked furrowed her eyebrows,

"I don't think that any angel would sneak a guy into her bed every night, especially when she shares a room with her sister…or that she would go flirt with every guy she sees at a party when she lost her memory from 'mono'…or that she would turn into a wolf when she's angry like a weird version of the Hulk…"

I thought,

"Wait, if Deanna gets a heavenly cloud-like bed because she's an 'angel,' then what does my straw-covered rock of a bed indicate that I am?"

"Well, the straw would seem to indicate that you're some sort of an animal," Ani smirked.

"I know: I must be Jesus," I concluded, smugly.

"Oh? Why's that?" Ani asked, chuckling.

"'_Away in a manger no crib for a bed…_'" I sang.

"I'm pretty sure you just committed blasphemy," Ani laughed.

"No, no, _Mom's_ the one who thinks I'm Jesus, not me," I pointed out playfully, stepping off the bed and grabbing a hair brush.

**Analiese's POV**

I told Aria to hurry up and get ready (before Mom decided she didn't even deserve straw on her bed) and then made my way downstairs in search for my twin sister. Everyone else (Noelle, Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen) were already helping Mom get the house picked up before Tasha's singing concert tonight. She had invited the whole pack as well as our neighbors, the Cullens. It was unlikely that _everyone_ would show up, but there was the potential for a lot of people nonetheless, so Mom wanted the house spotless with plenty of seating set up.

"Mom, how many degrees should I preheat the oven?" I heard Noelle holler from the kitchen to my mom upstairs as I walked down the third staircase that leads to the basement.

I walked into the room but found that Aria and Noelle's beds were already folded up into the small couch. Deanna wasn't still sleeping like I thought she would be.

_Uh-Oh. What kind of trouble is she getting herself into now?_

I ran back upstairs as slight panic began to fill me. Deanna's memory-loss has caused her to act crazy, and a crazy Deanna running loose is not a safe situation, especially since Taylor called me this morning to let me know that Seth should be back by tomorrow.

_Can't she just behave herself for one tiny day?_ I sighed.

"Noelle! I can't find Deanna!" I called up to my little sister as I ran up the second set of stairs. As soon as I hit the wooden floor of the living room, the front door opened and Taylor and CJ rushed in.

They were shirtless and badly out of breath. I stood frozen, with one foot in the living room and the over hovering above the last step of the stairs, waiting until they told me a good reason why they decided to test our front door's ability to stay on its hinges when being opened with a body-slam.

"He's…" Taylor tried to say something, but that was the only word that I was able to make out between his heaving.

He and CJ were bent over, holding their sides and looking as if they were about to throw up from over-exertion.

"Did you two run here in human form?" Noelle asked, quickly coming from the kitchen. She held a paper towel and was using it to wipe cake batter off her hands as she too tried to figure out what was wrong with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Wolves this time.

"On his way!" CJ coughed out, taking a seat on our floor.

"Who? What?" Aria scurried down the steps from the upstairs hallway and stood next to CJ, peering down at him in alarmed confusion.

Taylor leaned his back against the wall between the staircases, next to me, and I could see that he was sweating profusely.

"Who's coming?" I asked him.

"Seth," he said, then took a moment to swallow and slow his breath. "Seth's back."

"He's on his way," CJ explained, "We wanted to warn you."

"He's…" Taylor took another moment to catch his breath, but this time it seemed as though he was also trying to find the right words, "He's not happy."

Aria put her hand on CJ's shoulder,

"Thanks for warning us." Then she crinkled her nose and pulled her hand away, "Ew, you're all sweaty."

CJ rolled his eyes.

"You are too," I said to Taylor.

"Here," Noelle held out her paper towel to him. Taylor took it and wiped his face, spreading cake batter all over it in the process. Once he noticed, he gave Noelle a look and she started to giggle.

"How much longer until he's here? Because we have to go find Deanna…" I told the boys.

Taylor and CJ's eyes widened at me.

In the next second, Seth was at the door.

He smiled at us, looking exhausted, his hair unkempt, his jean-shorts worn and dirty, and walked into the living room, followed closely by Collin and Josh.

"Hey, girls," he was trying to sound cheerful, but his voice was shaky and if we thought CJ and Taylor were sweaty, then Seth's tan skin was a swimming pool.

"Hey," Noelle, Aria, and I replied in unison, trying to sound normal.

"Um, is Deanna upstairs?" he asked. He was clearly trying very hard to sound normal, friendly, and calm… but his sweaty appearance, shaky voice, and the beyond desperate look in his eyes were giving his away his true impatience.

My sisters and I exchanged looks while CJ covered his face with his hand and Taylor looked down at the floor.

Collin bit his lip and Josh raised his eyebrows as no one said anything for a moment.

Seth, still breathing deeply from running, began to sense that something was wrong. He glanced around at all of us.

"Seth-" Josh began, but Seth took off up the stairs and into my and Deanna's bedroom.

"…That awkward moment when she isn't even currently using that room," I mumbled to my sisters. CJ chuckled, Taylor shook his head, Josh shifted his weight nervously, and Collin stared up the stairs, waiting.

I wasn't sure what Seth was doing in there (hopefully not breaking anything) but he definitely was at least taking a moment to let everything sink in, something he probably hadn't done since he found out about Deanna's little memory-loss problem a few days ago.

_I bet he hasn't stopped running since then. He must be exhausted and confused._

In another moment, Seth rapidly fumbled back down the stairs and looked into all of our eyes,

"What happened to her?" _Now_ he sounded angry.

"Seth, listen to me, remember what happens to imprints when one of us gets too mad, to out of control," Collin spoke. Seth ignored him and stared at Josh,

"What happened to her?" He demanded Josh directly.

Josh raised his eyebrows, and pointed at himself, as if in shock that Seth would think that _he_ knew.

"You were always her favorite," Seth spat, "Now tell me what happened to her!"

"Leave Josh alone, he has nothing to do with it," Taylor said, "Don't blame any of us, she could care less about us."

"Seth, please, calm down," Collin insisted.

Seth turned to him,

"You're one to talk. You were the one who broke her wrist!"

"Yes, I know, I did, a while ago. And I'm sorry and that's why I'm making sure you don't make the same mistake. Don't hurt her, just calm down and everything will be okay," Collin spoke persuasively. From the playroom Tasha, Elise, and Kathleen crept out and looked up at me from the bottom of the stairs. I waved my hand to signal them to go back into the playroom. An angry shapeshifter is an ugly situation.

_An ugly and dangerous situation._

"Seth, you can trust us, just calm down so that you can see her without scaring her away," Josh advised.

Seth closed his eyes and took a few slow, deep breaths. After a moment a tear ran down one of his cheeks but he quickly wiped it away and looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry, I just…" Seth sat down on the floor next to CJ.

"You don't need to explain, man," CJ said, patting his back, "We understand."

"So she's okay? You guys are just keeping her from me until I'm calm?" Seth asked, looking around the group.

_Uh-oh. Now he's putting a little too much trust in us…_

I took a deep breath, nervously preparing to explain.

"Wow, is this a party? I thought the concert wasn't until tonight?" Deanna's voice filled me with relief. And then more panic rushed into my blood as she seductively walked over to Taylor.

Seth, who had perked up at the sound of his imprint's voice, was now watching, completely dumbstruck, as Deanna reached out a hand to stroke Taylor's arm muscle.

"You're _so_ fit. How much weight can you lift? Like a lot?" Then she looked up at Taylor's face and saw all the cake batter that was still on it,

"Ummmm, you got a little something…"

Taylor quickly jumped away from her touch and, blushing, moved to hide behind me.

"Jeeze, so shy!" She exclaimed, rolling her eyes, "I just have mono, not rabies."

She turned to look at everyone else, smiling and waving at Josh (who looked panicky as she did so and moved to hide behind Noelle.)

Then she spotted Seth, sitting on the floor, wet with sweat, and mouth hanging open at the sight of his girlfriend not acting anything close to herself.

"What are you staring at?" She asked.

He broke from his trance and gulped before asking,

"You really have no idea who I am?"

"Ummmmm, can I get a hint?" She shot him a flirty-smile.

Seth paused,

"Uhhh," his thoughts were clearly scrambled, "Your boyfriend?"

Deanna laughed,

"You're funny. But, sorry, you're not my type."

"I'm Seth," he insisted, searching her eyes.

Deanna looked concerned,

"Wait a minute, everyone has been asking me about a guy named Seth. _You're_ him?"

"Yes," Seth seemed to gain a little hope.

"Well, sorry, I have no idea who you are or why you apparently don't own any deodorant."

There was a painful pause during which everyone's heart broke for poor Seth, who sat there looking like he was about to cry, as if his entire world had just been shattered by her hap-hazard words.

"Something smells good, what's there to eat?" Deanna began to turn towards the kitchen.

"You lost your memory from getting mono," Seth spoke up. Deanna stopped to listen to him.

"Your sister and your friend Josh got it too, but it hit you worse so you lost your memory from it."

"Actually, we found out a few more details about that," Josh broke in, "It wasn't really mono, it was the contagious side effect of a spell that Erik cast on Flower who gave it to me," he explained, " And Dee got it from Noelle by sharing a drink with her. I guess it just affected Dee a lot worse than Noelle and I, for some magical reason."

"Wait a minute, then how did I get it?" Noelle asked.

Josh shrugged and turned to her,

"Um, kissing me in your dreams?" he suggested in a playful tone.

However, since I was with him when Flower and Erik explained about the spell, I know that what Josh was saying was really telling Noelle the truth. She would apparently only remember her and Josh kissing while under Flower and Erik's trance as a strange dream, so by Josh saying that she caught the 'mono' side effect from kissing him in her dreams, he was telling the truth.

_The sad part is that he doesn't have the guts to tell her straightforwardly what happened between them. _

"Haha, very funny," Noelle mumbled, though she seemed to be slightly distracted when she said it (perhaps she was remembering the 'dream?') "Actually, I've been feeling better since you came to apologize to me last night. I don't think I'm even sick anymore."

Josh nodded,

"I feel better too. I haven't had a sore throat since I was walking back from the wagon…"

Josh thought for a second, then turned to me,

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Flower Power?" I asked. He smiled,

"Exactly." Then he looked down at Seth, "Wait right here, I think I know how to cure her memory-loss."

Josh ran down to the basement and then back upstairs while everyone awkwardly waited in suspense. Deanna looked confused.

"Give her this," Josh handed the bouquet of flowers from Flower that he had given Noelle last night.

Seth gave Josh a questioning look.

"I'm _serious_! It will work!" Josh promised.

Seth took a deep breath and held out the flowers for Deanna. She cautiously took them.

"Don't they smell good?" I asked her.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose, stuffing her face into the flowers. She froze.

Then she looked back up.

Then she dropped the flowers.

"Oh..guys…I'm…I'm _so sorry_…" She covered her mouth with her hand.

"Do you remember everything now?" Collin asked her. She nodded, eyes wide.

"Flower must have put an antidote on the flowers," I explained to everyone.

A huge smile grew on Seth's face, and he stood up and pulled Deanna into a big hug, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head.

Everyone smiled with relief and joy.

"See what good things that happen when we unwrap my package?" Josh winked at me.

"Hey, _you_ were the one who was reluctant," I teased.

Noelle narrowed her eyes at us in suspicion.

"Hey, you can have inside jokes with me too if only we go on midnight walked together," Josh told her. She gave him a dirty look and turned away.

"So I'll see you at the concert tonight, Cake-Face?" I looked behind me to ask Taylor. He nodded,

"For sure!" Then he tip-toed behind Noelle and rubbed his face on the back of her shirt.

She turned around,

"Hey!"

Tasha, realizing that it was now okay to come upstairs, entered the living room and started handing out flyers to all of the guys. Seth was still hugging Deanna.

"Be sure to come back tonight for my concert! It's going to be amazing! You don't want to be the only shirtless guy not there!" Tasha shouted to be heard over all of the chatting.

"Collin, is it okay for me to come downstairs now?" Mom asked from the top of the stairs.

"Yes, thanks for waiting. We are very dangerous when we are mad," Collin explained to her, giving her a smile. He must have signaled her to stay upstairs at some point.

"See you all tonight!" Tasha yelled as the guys began to file out. Deanna left with Seth.

Mom walked down the stairs and sighed in relief,

"I was so worried that they would mess up the house!" she exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, because endangering the lives of four of your daughters was okay, but _muddy feet_? Oh, the horror!" Aria muttered.

"Calm down, Baby Jesus," I told my older sister, winking at her. She laughed.

**Deanna's POV**

Seth held my hand as we walked down the street in the direction of his house.

I wondered if he was smiling, but I was feeling too guilty to look at his face.

"Let me know when you're ready to phase," he told me. The walk to his house was too long to do in human form.

"Um, actually, it's been a little while since I last phased, and I don't know if I'm feeling up to it yet," I admitted.

"…Are you sure?" He asked.

I nodded,

"Yes."

The truth is, I wasn't ready for him to hear my thoughts. I was not even ready to hear my own thoughts.

"Ok, then let's call Leah and ask her to meet us with a car."

"I have a cellphone with me," I told him, pulling out my cellphone and handing it to him. He called up Leah, who I am sure was glad to hear that everything between me and him was back to normal.

_Except, it isn't… _

Guilt built up in my stomach as we walked, mostly in silence, until Leah pulled up in her car and we got in.

"Hey, Dee! Feeling better?" She smiled at me.

I nodded, trying my best to fake happiness.

"She's a little tired, I think," Seth told his older sister, "Give her some space."

Leah rolled her eyes,

"She's a big girl, Seth, she can speak for herself." But she left me alone for the rest of the ride all the same.

When we got to Seth's house, I was glad to find that his mom, Mrs. Clearwater, was at Charlie's instead of being home. I did not want to have to let her down, too.

"Let's go talk in my room," Seth suggested to me. I nodded. He led me upstairs and knocked on his bedroom door.

Jack, the imprint of the pack member Courtney, who is staying in Seth's room until they find another place, answered the door.

"You're back already? Good to see you!" he pulled Seth into a quick hug.

Seth smiled and hugged him back,

"Mind if we borrow the room for a few minutes?" Seth asked him. Jack turned away to look behind him,

"Alexander, let's go watch some TV in the living room."

Once we had the bedroom to ourselves, Seth and I sat down next to each other on his bed.

"I really missed you," he said, lying down on his side and resting his head on my lap. He held my hand and kissed it.

I took a deep breath.

"It's okay," he told me.

"…What?" I wasn't sure what he meant. I hadn't even said anything yet.

His voice changed to concern,

"I can tell that you're not feeling good about something. What is it? I'll fix it."

I shifted uncomfortably,

"It's…Seth, I don't want to hurt your feelings…"

"What? What could it be?" He turned his face to look up at me, "Is it something you did when you were under that spell?"

I put my hand on the top of his head, trying to say it as gently as possible,

"I…I drank the Emendatio potion."

Seth closed his eyes and sat up.

"I'm-I'm _so_ sorry, Seth! You know I didn't mean to! I had no memory of what it was!"

He opened his eyes and kissed my forehead,

"It's okay, I did too, remember? So what? It didn't-"

"No, Seth, it did. It did. It did. I unimprinted." I began to cry, "Does this mean we're not supposed to be together? Have we been making a mistake?" I looked at him as I sobbed, searching his face for answers to these painful questions.

_Have I ruined everything for us? We were so perfect and so happy and so in love...!_

Seth thought for minute. I gulped, nervously waiting for his reaction.

"No."

"What?" _What is he saying 'no' to?_

"No. No, we can't…No, no, no," He repeated.

He paused another second, looking at his hands.

I shouted out of surprise as he lifted me up and placed me back down so I was lying on my back. He crawled over me and pressed his forehead against mine. Then he kissed the tip of my nose.

"I love you," he told me, his eyes looking deep into mine, "And I know you love me. You've told me so many times. I've heard your thoughts, I've felt your feelings. I know you do. We can't let some silly potion get in the way. This is real. We know it is."

"Seth…" I couldn't stop myself from crying. I couldn't help but feel like me unimprinting was a sign that something was wrong with us.

He closed his eyes and sighed,

"If you really don't want to be together, I won't make you…." He moved to lie down on the bed next to me, his eyes still closed. Then he began again, this time rushing his words, as if afraid I would leave before he could get them all out, "I love you, Deanna Nicole Brentwood, and I always will, no matter what, and you're the best part of my life and my favorite person and my best friend and honestly," his closed eyes started to leak tears and his voice broke, "and honestly you're the very best thing that's ever happened to me and I don't have a complete life without you… but if you really don't want to…want to be toge-"

I rolled over and took him out of his misery with a deep kiss. He pulled away, though, and said, with a tear-soaked face and tear-choked words,

"Dee, please don't do this just because you feel bad for me."

I shook my head and tangled my hands in his hair and wrapped my legs around his,

"I'm not," I whispered, tears filling my own eyes, "I promise."

He smiled, his face still red and wet with tears, and I smiled back, tears just starting to dry on my cheeks, and we kissed. We kissed and kissed until we felt better and we realized that everything would be okay.

Then we cuddled and smiled and joked with each other.

"I'm sorry for scaring your sisters earlier," he chuckled.

I giggled,

"Uh oh, what did you do?"

"Well, I was so hopelessly desperate to find the beautiful Deanna that I lost my cool and yelled at Josh and Collin."

"Oh no, I hope you didn't ruin your bromance. What did you yell at them for?" I asked curiously.

Seth shook his head,

"Oh it doesn't matter…"

I kissed his neck,

"_Tell_ _me_!"

"Okay, okay. I yelled at Collin for that time he broke your wrist," Seth got an annoyed look on his face, "And I yelled at Josh because…because I was jealous of how you liked him more than me before you imprinted on me."

I laughed,

"I didn't have a crush on Josh, Seth. I just thought of him as a friend. You're the only guy I've ever been in love with."

"Good," Seth looked triumphant, "And you're the only girl I've ever been in love with."

"Well, _I'm_ sorry for flirting with Taylor in front of you," I told him, blushing at my strange behavior.

"It's alright, you were under a spell. You weren't yourself," he shrugged, "And I know that I'm more adorable than him anyway."

"I wonder why it affected me so much worse than Josh or Noelle."

"You were already sick," Seth said, "You were already weak from missing me!"

"Oh, you're so full of yourself," I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Not sure who else I should be full of. You, however, need to be full of some of me."

"Stop being vulgar," I hit him.

He laughed and cuddled closer to me,

"I'm glad to be back."

"How was your trip, by the way? Did you manage to find out anything useful about the Volturi?" I asked him.

"I already told Jake when I first got here, Leah wouldn't let me go see you until I did. Before that I was too focused on missing you so I couldn't even tell them. But, anyways, yeah, I did find out some information…"

"Well, what is it?" I asked.

"Um…well, it's actually _really_ big news…"

"You can tell me, I _am_ part of the pack after all," I reminded him, kissing his cheek.

He smiled and me and then frowned,

"No I know, it's just…don't freak out, okay? We have to keep it on the down low until Jake gives orders on what to do."

I furrowed my eyebrows,

"Okay, of course."

Seth paused,

"I'm not sure how to say this. I'm not trying to accuse anyone. But…the Volturi have been getting information from a 'Dr. Quris.'"

My heart skipped a few beats,  
"_My dad_? You think _my dad_ is working with the Volturi?"

"You know I wouldn't say that if I was absolutely sure. And there's more..."

"What? Go on, tell me!"

"The Volturi want CJ."

**Thanks for reading this chapter!**

**I appreciate reviews!**

**-Ria M. Write**


	74. Dude, Do You Even Brentwood?

_7-Eleven_

**Chapter 74: "Dude, do you even Brentwood?"**

**Analiese's POV**

I adjusted the sleeves on my dress, making sure I was comfortable before Tasha's concert started.

I sat on a wooden chair near the far end of the living room window. The couches and chairs were all set up in three rows shaped in a semi-circle, facing the middle of the living room where Tasha would be performing.

In my hand was the program for the concert. According to it, she would be performing five songs.

I nervously pulled out a small mirror from my dress pocket to check how my hair looked. The vampire-y patches in my skin were not too noticeable when I was inside, especially because the lights were dimmed for the concert.

People were already starting to arrive.

Seth had gotten here first, seeing as he had to bring Deanna home in time for her to get dressed up. He was wearing a baby blue button-down shirt and black dress pants- very fancy.

_I bet Deanna picked that outfit for him_. Light blue was my twin sister's favorite color, after all.

Tasha had made sure to type "**Formal Attire Preferred**" on all the flyers she had been handing out for weeks. She knew that the pack guys don't go shopping often and probably couldn't still fit into whatever dress clothes they had before they started phasing, with them rapidly growing and all.

The Troubling Trio (Josh, Taylor, and Alan,) had also already arrived. They were lounging on the floor, despite my efforts to get them to pick seats.

_At least they remembered to dress up_.

Katie and Collin were the only others here so far. They were sharing a love seat near the piano and entertaining themselves with an exceptionally heated game of "rock, paper, scissors."

All of my sisters (as well as my mom and my dad) were still getting ready. I made sure to be done early so that I could greet Cole when he got here.

That's right, I had invited that guy I had met at the party who Deanna had tried to infect with mono. He had texted me afterwards and wanted to hang out, and I figured the best way to arrange it was to just have him come to this concert.

_If he can't deal with all of the people here, then we wouldn't work out as a couple anyway. Plus, if it turns out he's a jerk, the pack guys (and girls) can easily scare him away. _

Not to mention that if I introduce him to everyone now, it saves us from awkward introductions later.

Someone knocked on the door.

"I want to get it!" Katie announced, leaping out of the seat she shared with Collin and running to the door.

She opened it to let in Courtney and the little boy Alex (the brother of her imprint, Jack.)

"Hey!" She greeted them.

"Hey, Courty-Court!" called Alan, "Lookin' good, C!" called Taylor, "Hey girl!" called Josh, all of them still lying on the floor.

"Hello," Courtney smiled and waved at everyone, leading Alex over to a couch. I smiled at them as they sat down on the one behind me.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," I said to Courtney. She nodded as she looked for something in her bag. She pulled out a small toy car and handed it to Alex, who began driving it along the lines of the couch.

"I recovered quickly after the first day," she explained.

I lowered my voice as to not draw the attention of the others, who were hopefully too distracted with their own conversations to pay any attention to what I was saying,

"Did Josh happen to talk to you about Steven?"

Courtney pursed her lips and shook her head,

"Who's Steven?"

"Um, he's the werewolf, who…"

"Oh," she looked worried.

"I met him last night. He was very upset about hurting you, and he wanted to know if you were okay." I waited to judge her expression.

She blinked,

"The werewolf wanted to know if I was okay?"

"Well, he couldn't control himself during a full moon. He has trouble even remembering what happens in his wolf form. He didn't mean to hurt you, and he felt horrible about it."

"…So it's true that those witches keep a werewolf as a pet?" She asked.

"…He's more of a prisoner with them, really," I confessed, "I think he's forced to be there. And they punish him if he disobeys them."

She shook her head,

"Oh wow, that's awful!" she changed her voice to a whisper, "…Do you think I should go see him? To show him that I'm alright and that he doesn't have to feel bad?"

I thought.

_It could be risky, since Erik punished Steven for even talking about Courtney. Erik must not want Steven to know what happened to her. But…on the other hand, it would be the right thing to do, to give Steven some peace of mind._

"We could try," I told her.

"So you know how to get there?"

I bit my lip,  
"Josh led me there and it was dark out so I don't know if I could for sure…but I know the general direction and I'm sure we could figure it out together."

Courtney nodded,

"Let's not waste time, then. We should go tonight. Jack is busy tonight but Alex likes your sisters, so they can babysit him while we go to the Weryly's wagon."

"You want to go right after the concert?" _I'm not sure about that, then it will be dark out so I'm more likely to get lost and I will have to rush Cole home so he leaves before I do._

"It's the easiest time for me to go," Courtney begged, "It would give me closure about what happened."

I felt bad for her. She had been attacked and almost killed by a werewolf man. And on top of it all, it was my fault that he even came here because of my vampire-power animal-calling singing.

_I should apologize to Steven._

"Okay," I agreed.

**Deanna's POV**

I applied a little hairspray to my hair that I had managed to make took neat. I did not like my hair as short as it had been cut since I started phasing. It was more convenient for when I was in my wolf form, but in my human form it was a little too curly for me.

I had on black slacks and a blue dress shirt with a white tank-top under it.

I left the upstairs bathroom and moved down to the living room and saw that Seth must have gone to the bathroom since he was no longer in his seat.

"Why are you guys lying on the floor?" I asked Josh, Taylor, and Alan. They lifted their heads to look at me and shrug,

"It's comfy. Come join us, Dee!" Alan suggested.

I shook my head.

Alan frowned,

"But we miss you! We haven't hung out with you in awhile!"

"I've sat on my living room floor often enough to know it's not comfy," I told him.

"Oh, come on, don't be baby!" Josh insisted, "We are saving seats for other people this way! Don't you want to be a good person?"

"Wow, way to make me feel guilty," I rolled my eyes at Josh.

Josh stuck out his tongue and then said,

"Pretty pleassseeeeeee!"

I shook my head again.

"Here, you can sit on my lap and then everyone's happy," Taylor offered, getting up and sitting with his legs folded Indian-style.

I started to shake my head but the three started begging:

"Please! Please! Please!"

At this point, Ani, Courtney, Alex, Katie, and Collin were all watching us and laughing.

I gave in,

"Okay, okay." I walked over to Taylor and plopped myself onto his lap.

"Yay!" the three started clapping for me.

"See, that wasn't so bad," Taylor said to me, holding out his hands for me to take.

Josh narrowed his eyes,

"Hey! Not fair! I want someone to sit on my lap and hold my hands too!"

As he spoke, Noelle started to walk upstairs into the living room, looking very pretty in her dress.

"Free lap! Good for a warm seat and front row view of the concert! Will hold hands!" Josh started advertising to no one in particular, sitting up and showing off his legs, "These muscular things are nice comfy!"

Noelle seemed to suddenly realize that she forgot something and turned around and walked back down the stairs, disappearing into her room.

The door opened and CJ, Theresa, Brady, Audrine, and Chris started taking their seats.

"Put your legs down, Josh," Brady instructed his younger pack member as he sat down in a chair next to Collin and Katie, "Ever think that maybe nobody wants to see them?" Audrine (Brady's imprint) sat down next to him

Josh's face reddened and he obeyed.

Audrine waved at me and I waved back.

"Where's Seth?" She asked.

"I think he's in the bathroom," I told her.

"Oh, no, he went to go talk to Jake," Alan interjected.

"For what?" Brady asked.

"Don't know," Taylor shrugged, "He just got a phone call and said he'd have to go."

"Huh. So, why are you sitting on Taylor's lap?" Audrine asked me.

"Um, well-" I tried to explain but Josh cut me off,

"Jealous? Don't worry, my lap's free and warm," he whipped around to face her and rubbed his legs in faux-seductiveness, wriggling his eyebrows at her. She laughed and hugged Brady's arm,

"No thanks, I've got a lap right here if I need one."

Brady nodded,  
"Keep your puppy-paws off, BlackHawk."

Josh rolled his eyes and turned away.

The door opened and Collin's dad, Zachary, walked in.

"Hey!" Collin greeted him, standing up out of the seat he had been sharing with Katie and walking over to his father. Zachary waved hello to everyone,

"How's it going, boys?" He smiled, "And girls?" he added, realizing many were here.

The pack guys enthusiastically greeted him while Katie, Courtney, and I more just smiled politely.

Katie looked hurt as Collin and Zachary sat down on a couch away from her. Brady noticed and whispered something to her that seemed to cheer her up a little.

Then Josh saw her as another potential 'customer' and- catching her eyes- pointed to his lap and smiled.

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you know you want to," he mouthed.

Katie got up and moved to the four of us. Josh looked victorious until Katie sat down on Alan's lap instead of his. Alan looked surprised but then raised his eyebrows at Josh and gave him a look that said, "I win."

Josh pouted and crossed his arms.

I laughed and patted him on the shoulder,

"It's okay. I'm sure Elise and Kathleen will want to sit with you."

"There ya go, I'm sure that'll be a blast," Taylor teased him. Josh sighed.

Dad walked down the stairs into the living room, partaking in lots of handshakes and hugs from the pack members as he moved to sit near Zachary and Collin.

"Speak of the devils," Josh mumbled as Elise and Kathleen ran into the room. Taylor hit him on the back of the head,

"Cut it out, they're just little kids."

"Ow! I'm only kidding!" Josh managed to say before he was attacked by Elise and Kathleen who jumped on his back. Josh struggled to get them off (in a way that wouldn't hurt them) but gave up and looked at me, "If these two don't start phasing when they're teenagers then I'll be shocked. They are practically as strong as Alan!"

Alan laughed,

"But not as smart."

"No one is as _smart_," Katie laughed, "Of course."

Alan blushed and avoided eye contact with the girl on his lap.

Aria and Noelle came from the basement and found seats with CJ and Theresa.

"Aria, take that ponytail out and put it up higher, I hate it when girls wear low ponytails," I heard Noelle bug our older sister.

The room was really full at this point and getting loud with all the chatting between friends. Tasha's concert was set to start soon.

Ani got out her seat and went downstairs to the bathroom. A moment after she left the room got quieter as the doorbell rang and Elise and Kathleen ran over to let in a non-Quileute boy.

_Oh my gosh this is so embarrassing! That's the kid I tried to kiss at the party!_

I quickly looked down and tried to hide my face behind Taylor, since we were facing away from the front door anyway.

I felt Taylor crane his neck to watch as I heard Cole move across the room to sit down in the chairs behind where Taylor and I were on the floor.

"Hey, I'm Taylor," I heard Taylor introduce himself, letting go of me to shake hands with Cole.

"I'm Cole," the guy replied, friendly.

"Nice to meet you," Taylor sounded like he was smiling.

"I'm Josh!" I saw Josh wave next to me, "Nice to meet you, Cole."

"And I'm Alan," Alan waved, "I'm Katie," Katie said from his lap.

Everyone else in the room was too wrapped up in their conversations to introduce themselves.

"Nice to meet you all," Cole sounded polite, "I guess I'm late. This is a long drive and I was coming from the gym," the guy explained, "But apparently there's one closer to here," he said.

"What do you mean?" Josh asked.

"Well, you guys clearly go _somewhere_ to workout. Does the Res have a good one?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah…" Taylor answered, lying. _It wouldn't make sense if these guys are buff without going to the gym. It's not like broke Quileute boys can just buy their own equipment._

"Oh really? There must be a big weight room, huh?" Cole asked.

"Oh yeah, _tons_ of weights!" Josh chimed in, widening his eyes, "Like, piles of them!"

Taylor and Alan nodded in agreement.

Cole sounded confused,

"_Piles_ of weights? Not machines?"

"…Machines? Why would we have piles of machines?" Josh furrowed his eyebrows in confused.

Cole now sounded suspicious,

"Do you even lift?"

Josh, Taylor, and Alan exchanged looks and turned away instead of responding. I heard Cole lean back against his chair, probably weirded out.

Taylor put his mouth up to my ear and whispered very quietly,

"Is there a reason you're hiding?"

"I'll tell you later," I promised, whispering back.

"Sooo, when does this show start?" CJ asked, raising his voice so he could be heard over the chatter.

"10 minutes," Mom answered, entering the living room. Her brown hair was brushed out nicely and she wore a blouse and a long black skirt. She sat down at the piano, waiting for Tasha.

"Can't wait," said Taylor, shaking my arms excitedly.

Noelle rolled her eyes at him,

"Calm down, it's just singing."

"Thank you for all coming her tonight, I'm so glad so many of you could make it! This is awesome!" Mom said enthusiastically.

"We do it for you, Mrs. B," Josh winked at her.

"Yeah, and you know how much we like some good ol' howling!" Brady shouted, making on pun on 'singing' as 'howling,' then letting out a loud "Ow owww!"

Aria, Noelle, Audrine, and Theresa cringed as us members of the wolfpack started howling enthusiastically.

When we finally quieted down everyone was laughing and/or covering their ears.

"No, but really, we like hanging out here, Mrs. B!" Taylor told my mom. My mom turned to him and smiled.

"Yeah, you have the best family ever!" Josh piped in.

"Worth howling for!" Cole exclaimed. Josh and Taylor looked at each other and then looked at him,

"Dude, do you even Brentwood?" Taylor asked.

Cole swallowed nervously and looked away.

"Seriously, like why are you here? Which daughter are you after?" Josh asked.

"I was invited by Ani," he said quietly.

Taylor tensed up but then relaxed again. I wondered how much it bothered him that Ani was dating Cole.

My mom spotted me on Taylor's lap,

"...Deanna, did you have a problem finding your own seat?"

"It's official Lap Day with the pack," I explained, trying to sound serious. Mom gave me a look and shook her head.

"That sounds so dirty," Alan remarked.

Behind me I heard Aria scream in surprise and when I turned I saw that CJ had picked her up and put her on his lap. Everyone turned to him to see what had happened.

"Everybody hurry! You're disgracing our holiday!" he exclaimed as Aria tried to pry his hands off of her so she could move, "Get someone on your lap!"

Lots of commotion, screaming, and laughter occurred as people scrambled to rearrange themselves on laps.

Taylor hugged me tighter and winked at Alan,

"We're just so ahead of the game."

"Hell yeah," Alan winked back, holding Katie who laughed with me.

Audrine hopped on Brady, Elise and Kathleen shared Josh, Theresa moved to Collin, Alex sat with Noelle, Courtney ran across the room to sit with Chris, and Dad even got up and grabbed Mom.

Cole sat looking disorientated and scared. Zachary sat alone, amused but clearly not wanting to participate.

That's when Ani came back upstairs and found all of us on top of one another.

"Um…." She tried to figure out what was going on but then just walked over to Cole and sat down next to him, "Sorry," she mumbled to him, "This is even weirder than usual."

"I'm ready!" Tasha announced from upstairs.

"Okay, let's get back to our seats!" My mom said. Once everyone was settled again, she began playing the piano and Tasha walked in to our applause.

Tasha sang "Everytime We Touch" by Cascada first. Her singing was beautiful.

After four more songs worth of singing, we all clapped as Tasha bowed. She thanked us for coming and everyone got up to stretch our legs and get snacks.

I stood up with Taylor and he wrapped his arms around me again.

"You want something?" I asked him.

"Let's go get food."

"Food food food," CJ agreed, walking past us and dragging an annoyed Aria behind him.

I ran a hand through Taylor's short, black hair,

"You got some weird sticky stuff in here…"

"Oh," he rolled his eyes, "That would be thanks to your little sister."

"The cake batter didn't wash out of your hair?" I laughed. He nodded,

"I'll have to try harder when I get home."

"Let's go upstairs now and I'll use some of our shampoo on it in the sink," I offered.

**Tasha's POV**

I watched as my third oldest sister climbed the steps and disappeared into the bathroom with the very buff Taylor.

_I see the vial of Parco Emendatio I gave her is working perfectly._

All of the other shapeshifters were crowded around the table, making it impossible for us normal humans to get in.

_Not that all of us are normal humans…_

I turned to face Ani and her new friend. He was smiling at her as she spoke while playing with her long, ash blonde hair that has now started to form curls at the ends just like the hair on most of us Brentwood Sisters.

I walked over to them and held out my hand for the guy,

"I'm Tasha, nice to meet you."

"Cole," he shook my hand.

"Well, thank you for coming, Cole."

"You're very welcome, Tasha."

"And I see Ani remembered to tell you to wear formal attire," I smiled. He nodded. He was wearing khaki pants and a light green polo shirt.

"So, how did you two meet?" I asked.

He looked past me and I followed his gaze up the stairs.

_Dee-Dee? You two met through Dee-Dee?_

"Um, at a party," Ani spoke up.

"It was totally not weird," Cole chuckled, "A totally normal meeting at a party."

I raised my eyebrows,

_Okayyyyy….I guess they must have met when Dee-Dee was being crazy._

"Well, you two kids have fun," I smiled at them, walking away.

I moved down the stairs to the basement, where Noelle had gone to play trains with Alex. She had pulled out the toy train tracks already and Alex was excitedly trying to put them together.

"May I help?" I asked the little boy. He looked me up and down, then nodded,

"You can do this train," he handed me a red train and pushed some track parts towards me.

We heard lots of laughing and joking as some of the guys came downstairs, their arms stacked with food and then empty in the next minute.

"Oh! Trains!" Alan exclaimed, diving right in and stealing some of Noelle's tracks. She hit his hands but let him play with us.

The four of us continued to play as Brady, Collin, Josh, and Chris had a pull-up contest using the ledges on the metal support beam running on the exposed underside of the basement ceiling.

After a few minutes, Noelle, Alan, and I each had our own little town's worth of tracks done, and Alex was still struggling to grasp the concept of making them actually connect, not just be roughly near each other.

"Noelley, can you help me?" He asked her.

"Oh course, honey," she said. And she began to help him connect a bridge to an intersection.

"More cookies are out of the oven!" My mom called from upstairs. In a second, most of the guys were back upstairs.

Josh hung behind, though.

"May we help you?" Noelle asked him, not looking up from the train set.

"I'm just not hungry," he explained.

"I'm done playing," Alex announced, crawling on to Noelle's lap.

"Okay, what do you want to do?" Noelle asked.

"I'm going to catch your nose!" He warned her, before using his little hands to pretend he had captured her nose.

She laughed,

"Oh no! I need that!"

"No you don't!" The little boy teased.

"What? But how will I smell?" She asked him.

"Hmmm, okay I'll give it back to you," Alex said.

"Oh good!" Noelle faked relief.

"But!"  
"But?!"

He laughed,

"But, I'm going to need something in return."

Noelle laughed,

"Oh really? What? A cookie?"

The little boy shook his head,

"Nope!"  
"What then?"

"A kiss!" he demanded, throwing up his hands in the air for emphasis. Noelle looked at me and giggled,

"He's so cute."

I nodded my head, laughing in agreement.

Josh looked disgusted.

"Okay, if it's the _only_ way to get my nose back!" Noelle agreed to Alex.

Alex nodded,

"It is!"

Noelle leaned in and kissed Alex on the cheek.

The little boy giggled and then wiped it off,

"Ew! Slimey!"

Noelle gasped,

"It was not!"

Josh made a fake gagging sound.

The little boy hugged Noelle while laughing,

"You're so fun, Noelley. You should be my girlfriend forever."

"Okay, Alex. It's a deal," she said, winking at me.

Josh, apparently unable to take anymore of the 'nauseating' scene, marched over and tapped Alex on the shoulder,

"Um, she's a little too old for you, sir," he said to him.

Alex shook his head and announced,

"I like older woman."

Noelle and I burst out laughing

Josh shook his head,

"No, no. Older woman are bad. You want to go for the younger ones."

Alex shook his head right back,

"Noelle's the prettiest girl ever. So I'm going to have _her_ be my girlfriend."

"You're a determined little thing, aren't you?" Josh asked, crossing his arms, "Well, I'll have you know that Noelle _is_ the prettiest girl on the planet and therefore you're going to have to do a little better to beat out all the other suitors for her."

_Oh, this is getting good!_ I thought.

Noelle blushed,

"Don't listen to him, Alex, he's just being sarcastic."

"No I'm not," Josh said to her, sounding hurt, "I wouldn't lie about that."

Noelle blushed more and didn't seem to know what to say.

I realized that my presence was adding to the awkwardness between them so I quickly and silently went up the stairs and out of the room. But I was careful to leave the door open a crack so that I could hide and watch. 

"She's _my_ girlfriend whether you like it or not!" Alex told Josh. Josh looked upset now,

"Now you listen here, little man, I'm a whole lot bigger than you and a whole lot more awesomer so don't you go around thinking you can just have whatever girl you want!"

"Josh, are you jealous of a five-year old?" Noelle asked him, seriously.

Josh paused and then swallowed hard,

"Yes," he admitted.

"What's there to be jealous of? That he can take more naps then you?"

Josh shifted his weight uncomfortable,

"No. That's not it."

"…Is it me?" Noelle asked, quietly.

Josh nodded.

"Then how come you've been dating other girls so much?" She asked, suddenly sounding upset herself.

"What?" Josh sounded in disbelief, "Where did you come up with that?"

"Flower? Mysterious, secretive late nights with my older sister? Offering your lap to any girl in the room?" Noelle questioned.

"The lap thing was a joke!" Josh insisted.

"What about the midnight walks with Ani?" Noelle fumed.

"Wait- are _you_ jealous?" Josh asked, a smile creeping on his face.

Noelle bit her lip, as if trying not to smile,

"No," she mumbled without opening her mouth.

Josh's smile widened into a huge grin,

"You're _so_ jealous. Of me and Ani?" He waved his hand dismissively, "She was just helping me break up with Flower."

Noelle's eyes lit up and she opened her mouth,

"You broke up with Flower?"

Josh nodded,

"Indeed, I did. She took it pretty hard with me being so caring and handsome and perfect, but, hey, what can I say? It just wasn't true love."

_He can't tone down his cockiness for one minute_.

"You didn't like her?" Noelle asked, now a little confused.

Josh looked serious again and shook his head,

"No," he told her, quietly. "Actually…" he began, "Erik told Ani and I that she put me under a love spell."

Noelle's big brown eyes widened,

"Really?"

Josh nodded,

"Yep. I basically didn't have a choice. I'm sure I wouldn't have even looked twice at her if it wasn't for that spell."

"Huh," Noelle seemed to be thinking.

Josh put his hands in his pockets,

"So…um, since we are both jealous of us being with other people…and I really like you and…and…" he cleared his throat, nervously, "I-I really miss you. Do you…Do you want to go out with me, Noelle?" He bit his lip and his face got red as he waited for her answer.

"No!" Alex looked at Josh angrily, "She's _my_ girlfriend, remember?"

Josh stuck his tongue out at the little boy, his hands still in his pockets and his face still very, very red.

Noelle smiled at Alex and laughed,

"Don't worry, Alex, I can have two boyfriends."

Josh's face practically exploded with happiness,

"Is that a yes?" He asked, kneeling down next to her and waiting anxiously for her reply.

She smiled, kind of embarrassed, and nodded her head,

"I missed you too," she whispered, barely audible at all.

Josh grinned and leaped up, kissing her on the top of her head a bunch of time before picking up Alex and twirling him around with joy.

"I have the prettiest girlfriend on the planet!" Josh sang as Alex laughed.

Then Josh stopped suddenly and handed the laughing Alex back to Noelle.

"What's wrong?" she asked him. He looked like he had heard something.

"I think Jake's outside," he explained, bounding towards the stairs. I barely managed to get out of the way before he ran through the door and flew up the second set of stairs into the living room. Noelle ran up after him, carrying Alex. She saw me.

"Did you just watch all of that?" she asked, looking alarmed and embarrassed.

I shook my head,

"Of course not! Now, hurry, something's happening!" We ran into the living room. Everyone there was also standing, tensely.

The door opened and in came Jake, Leah, Sam, Quil, Embry, Paul, and Seth. The guys were shirtless and they all looked very serious.

Brady asked them something in Quileute, but they ignored him and marched over to where Dad was standing next to a couch. Quickly, they circled around him and Jake said, in a voice that mixed authority with sympathy,

"Dr. Quris, we're arresting you for working with the Volturi."

The room gasped.

**Analiese's POV**

Courtney and I moved our way swiftly through the woods. I was surprised at how well I remembered the way to the Weryly's wagon.

_It must be because I'm part-vampire_.

I had said goodbye to Cole (who wasn't interested in staying long after the concert anyways) and snuck out with Courtney while Noelle was watching Alex.

"This is the clearing," I announced, as we reached a break in the trees.

"I don't see anything," she said.

I furrowed my eyebrows,

"Josh told me that they have the clearing enchanted, maybe we won't be able to see the wagon until we get closer."

But when we walked into the middle of the clearing, nothing magically popped up.

"Did they…leave?" Courtney asked.

I remembered what Erik had said to me when I left the night before

"_Remember me, I'll always remember you…"_

"Yes. They left. I'm sorry, Courtney."

"Why would they leave out of nowhere?" Courtney wondered, as we started to walk back in the direction of my house.

"I don't know. Maybe they wanted to get something."

"Or maybe they wanted to get _away_ from something," she pointed out.

I thought,

"You mean, something dangerous?"

Courtney nodded,

"Something dangerous enough for witches with a werewolf to run from."

**Tasha's POV**

"What? No! You can't do this to me! I haven't done anything wrong!" My dad cried as the older pack members grabbed his arms and tried to lead him away.

Seth had stepped aside to stand next to Dee-Dee.

"Where is this coming from? What evidence do you have? My husband is an honest man!" Mom demanded.

_Honest man? He faked his own death to you…_

"We sent a spy to the Volturi in Italy and he discovered Dr. Quris' secret," Jake explained to everyone.

We all looked at Seth.

"Mom, they wouldn't do this if they didn't have to!" Deanna shouted to Mom as she tried to get at Seth. Deanna had to grabbed Mom's hands and hold them away from Seth's body.

"It's true," Seth said, looking sad, "I heard his voice over the phone with one of their human employees, and they used his name several times amongst themselves."

"This is ridiculous! What would the Volturi want from me?!" Dad insisted, not complying with their efforts to walk him out of the house. _I guess they don't want to hurt him if they don't have to_.

"He's been feeding them information about the first ever known vampire-shapeshifter, and they want this individual now," Jake told everyone.

All eyes turned to CJ.

"Me? But I can't even do anything special!" CJ sounded surprised and scared.

"Dr. Quris seems to think that could be changed, and the Volturi agree," Jake explained.

Dad had stopped arguing at this point, and his face was frozen over with a look of shock.

"I've worked with Quris for years, he only wants to help us, he would never hand over a pack member!" Zachary stated, getting angry.

"I'm not a pack member," CJ said meekly, "I mean, not officially. My thoughts aren't shared with the rest of them."

"What are you going to do with him?" Zachary asked as they finally got Dad to start walking towards the door.

"We'll lock him up, question him, and then, if it is found that he is too much of a threat, he will have to be executed," Sam said.

"Executed?!" Zachary exclaimed, "That's insane!"  
"Being a traitor working for the Volturi is the most dangerous thing for all of us," Sam insisted.

"We'll discuss this later," Jake ordered.

"You can't take him!" Zachary bellowed, his face red with anger, throwing himself at Paul and trying his hardest to break free Dad.

"Don't let him get out of control or he might phase!" Leah reminded us. Zachary _did_ used to phase. It's unlikely that it would happen again, or so I've heard them say, but a potential danger if he gets angry enough since he's not _that_ old yet.

Collin grabbed his dad and restrained him as my Dad was led outside. Mom started crying.

"We're bringing him to the Cullens before we lock him up," Seth told us after the older pack members were gone. He looked at CJ, "And you need to find a safe place to hide. Now."

**Thank you so so much for reading this long chapter! =)**

**Pretty please be sure to leave me a review about your thoughts, suggestions, predictions, questions, or feelings!**

**Thank you again! **

**-Ria M. Write **


	75. Noelley Dear

_7-Eleven_

**Chapter 75: "Noelley Dear"**

**Aria's POV**

"Come with me," CJ asked, reaching out for my hand as he stepped towards the front door, about to head to a hiding place.

"I can't- I need to go to my dad," I told him, feeling torn and confused. _Why would my dad ever want to hand someone over to the Volturi?_

CJ gave me a look of disappointment and impatience. He retracted his hand, and his skin seemed to look paler as he left the house. We heard a growl.

"Where is he going to hide?" Collin asked me, still cautiously holding Zachary in fear that he would act out of control. He motioned for Deanna to pass over our mom to him, too.

I shook my head,

"I don't know."

"We'll figure it out while you take those two to calm down," Seth ordered, being the oldest present among the pack.

Collin nodded and led a crying mom and a maddened Zachary outside.

"There's no way for us to read CJ's thoughts, so if he does a good job hiding, we're not going to have any contact with him," Brady said, sounding concerned.

"Someone should follow him?" Seth suggested.

"I'll do it; he's my guest, after all. I'd hate to see Theresa have a room to herself," Josh decided, heading towards the door.

I rolled my eyes, I hated how Josh constantly made it sound like Theresa was dating _my_ boyfriend.

"No! You'll rip up your fancy clothes when you phase!" Tasha reminded him.

"No! Don't do that!" Noelle agreed, handing Alex to me before running over to Josh and making him turn to face her.

"Um, I kinda have to go-"

"Shh! I'm not going to let you ruin your only nice shirt," she told him, beginning to unbutton the white dress shirt he was wearing.

" –I don't really think this is the best time to worry about fashion, Noelley Dear," Josh said with a serious tone, but he broke out into a little smile that showed he was more amused than worried about losing track of CJ.

Noelle ignored him and was halfway through the buttons now,

"Just think, what if we want to go to a nice restaurant? Huh? Then you'd have nothing to wear!"  
"Did I miss something?" Deanna asked them, "I thought you two were still passionately denying your love for one another. Did you make up? Or do stressful situations just bring out Noelle's impulse to undress Josh?"

Noelle blushed, finally finished with the buttons and now guiding Josh's arms out of the sleeves.

Josh winked at Deanna,

"Don't worry, next stressful situation we have, I'll let you act out _your_ impulses towards me."

Seth tensed up and took a threatening step towards Josh. His efforts were unnecessary though, because Noelle quickly beat him to it with a harsh slap to the cheek of an unexpecting Josh.

"Ow!" He exclaimed, now shirtless. He rubbed his cheek.

"Stop flirting with every girl you see," she scolded him, folding up his dress shirt nicely.

Taylor and Alan chuckled. Josh glared at them.

Seth shook his head, apparently frustrated with all of this wasted time,

"Get your ass moving, BlackHawk, or I'll move it for you!" Seth ordered. Josh didn't seem to mind being yelled at,

"See? Even Seth has sexy impulses towards me in stressful situations," he said to Noelle, before leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the lips and heading out the door.

"I told you to stop flirting!" She called after him from the doorway.

"That one was a guy, though! Oh, wait- never mind, you're right!" He teased, before phasing and disappearing into the woods.

Deanna giggled as Seth shook with anger.

"He called you a girl!" Elise cheerfully announced to Seth.

"Sethesha!" Kathleen teased.

Deanna, although smiling, put her finger to her lips, instructing our little sisters to stop before Seth exploded.

"Let's go to the Cullens," Seth announced. His eyes searched around the room, it looked like he was taking a head count.

"Where's Courtney?" he asked. Everyone looked around.

"And Ani," Noelle pointed out.

"Oh no," Taylor said, "They must have left together."

"That's okay, they should be able to take care of themselves," Seth decided. Then he turned to me, "You're in charge of Elise, Kathleen, and Alex. Make sure they leave if things get ugly."

I nodded.

Deanna moved to put her arm around Seth, trying to comfort him.

"Let's go, everyone," Seth led us out the door, Deanna by his side. I moved to walk next to Audrine and Brady. Tasha and Noelle walked with Taylor, Alan, and Katie.

"I'm going to call Jack and tell him what's going on. Maybe he'll want to come pick up Alex," Audrine told Brady and me.

"Good idea," Brady agreed. Audrine pulled out her cellphone and dialed a number under the contact name of 'Dad's House.'

"Why is he at your house?" I asked.

"My stepmom hired him and Theresa to help out with her landscaping business. They're busy with making design plans tonight."

Then it sounded like someone answered and Audrine asked for Jack.

"Hey, so Courtney apparently disappeared somewhere with Ani Brentwood and left Alex with us and now we are headed to the Cullens because the pack guys think Dr. Quris is giving information about CJ to the Volturi. Do you want to come get Alex?"

There was some talking on the other end and then Audrine said,

"Oh hi, Theresa. No, CJ went to go hide somewhere. Josh went with him. Yeah, Aria's right here with me. Want to talk to her?"

Audrine handed me the phone. My eyes widened. I let go of Kathleen's hand and took the phone, still holding Alex and keeping an eye on both of my little sisters, too.

"Hello?" I said, scared.

"Hi Aria. I just wanted to know if you have any idea where CJ went to go hide."

"No. I don't know where he would go….um, do you?" I asked, my knees beginning to shake. Theresa is possibly the most intimidating person ever.

"No. I'm just worried about him, you know? He doesn't handle isolation very well."

_Does anyone handle isolation well?_

"Right, I understand."

"How is Embry doing? Is there?"

"He is, um, not with us but with Jake and my dad."

"Your dad is causing a lot of problems, huh?" She said.

I wanted to hang up. I wanted to just press the 'End' button and be done with her condescending tone.

"We'll see," I said, not sure of what else I could say.

"I hope Courtney gets back safe and sound, Aria. Have a goodnight."

"Bye."

I handed the phone back to Audrine, my hand shaking. The fluffy-haired girl noticed and smiled to me, reaching out her hand and rubbing my arm,

"It's okay, don't worry about her. After this, I'll go over there and give her a piece of my mind. She has no reason to bother you."

I felt a little better but now also worried that Audrine would make things worse.

"So is Jack coming?" I asked her. She nodded,

"Theresa is going to drive him here."

We reached the Cullen's front yard to find Collin, Mom, Zachary, Jake, Leah, Sam, Quil, Embry, and Paul with my dad. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Bella, and Nessie were there too, but no one was doing anything except standing around.

As we got closer, I felt a wave of calm rush over me. It seemed to hit everyone else too.

_I guess it's from Jasper_.

"What are we waiting for?" Audrine asked Brady, quietly.

"Where's Edward?" Brady asked.

"He's on his way," Bella told us.

_We must be waiting for Edward to read Dad's mind_.

"There sure are a lot of people here," Tasha remarked.

Alan looked at her and smiled,

"Yeah, thirty one, to be exact."

"Well, that's some fast numbers, mister," Tasha smiled back at him.

"Make that thirty two," Edward joined us.

Everyone stood silently in anticipation. Edward stared intently at my father.

"Let him go," Edward said, his tone moderate.

"What?" Sam was hesitant. Jake took a deep breath and, trusting Edward, let go of Dad.

Only Sam still had a hold of Dr. Quris now.

Sam looked at Jake and stated talking to him in frantic Quileute. Then Paul started responding to Sam. Soon all of the pack was in a discussing in the Native language. I watched my sister, Deanna, as she contributed to the conversation. Her Quileute was not quite as fluent as the others, seeing as she hadn't grown up speaking it. Her words were slower and clearly required more thought on her part.

Seth seemed to be helping her out, repeating what she said in clearer wording.

Zachary was speaking, too. And even my dad. Finally Jake raised his hand and everyone quieted down. Sam let go of Dad.

"He did not know he was speaking to the Volturi," Edward explained.

"Are you sure?" Same asked.

"He believed it was a scientific research group, the very same one he has been working for hiw entire career. The same people that helped him fake his death to continue his secret experiments," Edward said.

"It's true!" Dad exclaimed, "I've trusted these people for years, they've never done anything to make me think they were dangerous."

"The Volturi helped you fake your death?" Ani asked, trotting out from the woods.  
"Thirty-three," Tasha said to Alan.

"What did I miss?" Courtney slipped into the yard, too.

"Thirty-four," Alan said to Tasha.

"My husband's innocent!" Mom cried. Collin let go of her arm and dad moved to comfort her.

Courtney noticed me holding Alex and walked over to us,

"Thank you," she smiled nicely at me, "Sorry for disappearing." Alex held out his arms for her to take him and she did.

"Where's CJ?" Courtney asked me.

"He went to hide, the Volturi are after him."  
She widened her eyes.

"So, since Dr. Quris is innocent, we need to figure out how to use his connection with the Volturi to try and protect ourselves," Jake announced.

"I can tell them that CJ left. That we lost track of him," Dad suggested.

"He'll be able to tell your lying," Alice said.

"Then how do we stop them from coming to get CJ?" Courtney asked.

"We can't risk them coming back here," Jake said, looking at Nessie.

"What if…What if CJ goes to them? He shows them that he is nothing special? That being a shapeshifter-vampire is not as exciting as it sounds?" Brady suggested.

"That will be very dangerous for him," Carlisle warned.

"But it might be the best way to protect everyone," Paul pointed out.

"We're handing your boyfriend over to the Volturi?" Ani asked me.

I raised my eyebrows,

"It's a long story. But, yeah, that's what it sounds like."

"Fun," Ani remarked.

"Where the hell were you?" Taylor asked, moving to stand with us as everyone else also began to break into their own little conversations.

"I-I was just showing Courtney were the Werylys used to be," Ani explained.

"They've left," Courtney added, "And it seemed as if they were running from something."

"I guess it was the Volturi," Ani concluded.

"Scary," Taylor shuttered, "It was horrible when they came before- I was so new, you know…so young."

"Don't worry, they won't come back," Courtney smiled at him, "CJ's brave. He'll go to them."

"It's not as simple at being brave," Jasper said, him and Alice walking towards us.

"If he goes, it doesn't matter if he thinks he's nothing special. Aro will see the potential in him. Dr. Quris told the Volturi that CJ _is_ capable of being very powerful. They won't let him leave. He will be walking into a trap," Alice explained.

We frowned.

**Josh's POV**

I turned into my human form and climbed up a tall tree. I sat on a sturdy branch. We were deep in the woods. CJ was perched on the branch next to me. Due to the fact we had phased quickly, we had no shorts to put on. That's right. Naked.

"Jared was watching the whole thing in his wolf form, so I know what happened at the Cullens," I told CJ.

"Is everybody okay?" he asked. I nodded,

"The thing is, Dr. Quris didn't know he was working for the Volturi. He thought they were someone else. Edward was able to read his mind and find that out. So now the question is: how do we stop the Volturi from coming here? And some guys suggested you go show the Volturi that you aren't anything threatening or exciting. But the Cullens think that's too dangerous, and that the Volturi will capture you for sure if you go there."

"If I go, they won't come here?" CJ asked.

"Yeah, I guess so."

He looked away and seemed to be thinking.

"Hey, no one wants you to go if it means you won't come back," I told him, "We all like you. So don't consider it."

CJ smiled and nodded.

"Good. Now, according to Cullens, it takes the Volturi awhile to get moving on anything, so Seth was a little premature on telling you to hide. Carlisle says we are safe for a few months. So let's get the hell out of this tree."

"Ok. Oh, and Josh?"

"Yeah?"

"You look a hundred times better with clothes on."

"Tell that Dee. I swear that girl checks me out every time we phase together."

"How would you know that if you weren't looking at her, too?" CJ pointed out.

"Hey- the fact that Seth hasn't taken the time to rip out my beating heart is proof that I don't look at Dee that way."

"Yeah, but you look at her _some way_," CJ insisted.

"Don't tell Noelle. She wouldn't understand that Dee's like a sister to me," I asked him.

"Why, are you two back together?"

I beamed,

"Yup."

**Thanks for reading! PLEASE, PLEASE review this instant! **

More chapters to come soon. Sorry for the delays.

-Ria M. Write


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